How Much Longer Will Schools Have to Scrape Together Technology Funding?

Many people think the "digital divide" and access to technology simply boils down to whether students have a working device and a reliable internet connection. But the needs—and the costs—are more complicated than that. K-12 school districts must plan for a variety of costs related to technology integration. Schools and districts are forced to haphazardly fund technology-enabled learning because of failures to do so in a consistent way at the federal and state level. The National Educational Technology Plan, created by the US Department of Education in 2017, recommends districts make sure students have equitable access to technology through an unspecified mix of federal programs and reliance on nonprofit organizations. But this inconsistent approach to funding will not meet the estimated $6 billion to $11 billion needed to provide enough devices and internet access for students during remote learning, nor will it continue to sustain technology-enabled learning in a post-pandemic reality. In this particular moment, as students and educators begin a new school year flush with more technology than ever before, we have an opportunity to develop a better way forward. Policymakers and school leaders can work together to ensure our students have the technology and internet access they deserve.

[Allison Starks is a doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, studying digital technologies, children and education. She is a former K-12 teacher and district technology integrator.]