COVID-19 Has Widened the ‘Homework Gap’ Into a Full-Fledged Learning Gap

In a matter of days, the “homework gap” widened to a full-fledged learning gap, as computers and internet connections soared to the top of the list of required school supplies and districts made hasty plans to roll out virtual learning. What that disparity has revealed about the education inequities in our country, according to Common Sense Media’s CEO Jim Steyer, is “a national disgrace.” “Millions and millions of kids … don’t even have the basic essentials of what they need to be students during this time,” Steyer said. "Even as we move toward returning to school this summer and in the fall, we have an imperative to offer kids the opportunities they deserve.” 

The digital divide, like so many issues in the US, is “particularly egregious for folks of color,” said John King, Jr., the former Secretary of Education under the Obama administration and current president and CEO of the Education Trust. King suggested three other steps education leaders can take to close the digital divide.

1. Superintendents need to be laser-focused on equity and making sure every student under their purview—regardless of race, income, ZIP code or otherwise—has access to the internet in the fall.
2. District leaders should be “surveying, surveying, surveying,” to understand how parents experienced the spring distance learning experiment, whether they still lack sufficient devices or broadband connectivity, and whether they need additional technical support.
3. Districts should use the summer months to theirs and their students’ advantage. “Let’s not waste the next couple of months to address lost learning,” King said. He pointed out a tutoring initiative in Tennessee that pairs college students with K-6 students as an exemplar of what could be and needs to be done.