Do hotspots improve student performance?

Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, communities and schools recognized that students without Internet access at home are at a disadvantage. However, an overlooked aspect of this disparity is that many students also lack a desktop or laptop computer at home. Disconnected students likely benefit if they are given free Internet; however, their school performance may still suffer if they are limited to completing assignments on a smartphone. This project randomly assigned 18 disconnected students into three groups—Internet, Internet + laptop, and control—and followed their educational outcomes pre-and post-intervention. We find evidence that providing both Internet access and a computer results in improved academic attainment, but providing only Internet access does not. This is an important finding since most policies to date have focused explicitly on the Internet provision component.

[Brian Whitacre is a Professor and Jean & Patsy Neustadt Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University. Amanda Higgins is a graduate student in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.]