Global inclusion gaps persist despite large EdTech investment¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · design r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2031: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Roughly 240 million children experience disability globally, about half of those in low- and middle-income countries are out of school, and children with disabilities are 2.5 times more likely not to attend school at all, while global EdTech spending is projected to reach 437 billion US dollars by 2033. → Stark 2026

Evidence¶

Stark 2026¶

Stark, B., & Rostan, J. (2026). LUDIA: A design and evidence statement (Version 1.0). Ask LUDIA. https://askludia.com/en doi:10.35542/osf.io/3nmgp_v1

q2 · i? · design · r1

The statement assembles published figures from UNICEF, UNESCO, and others to characterise the inclusion gap, noting the EdTech market is projected to reach 437 billion US dollars by 2033 per a commercial forecast. The authors caution the figures "come from different populations, methods, and years, and they do not add up to one measurement".

"Globally, 240 million children are experiencing disability, and roughly half of those in low- and middle-income countries are out of school (UNICEF, n.d.). Children with visual, hearing, physical, or intellectual disabilities are 2.5 times more likely not to attend school at all (UNESCO, 2020)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Learners face compounding systemic challenges: widening gaps, isolation, and shifting skill demands — related
• Technology access problems during the COVID shift were more prevalent among minoritized students and students from lower-income households — related
• Roughly 30 percent of U.S. students (15 to 16 million) lacked adequate internet or device access in late 2020, with rural, Native American, Black, and Latino students disproportionately affected — related
• Students without home broadband or who rely only on a cell phone show a digital skill gap of roughly three grade levels and are less likely to plan for college — related
• Learning deficits are appreciably larger in middle-income countries than in high-income countries, with no evidence available from low-income countries — related
• Research on generative AI in secondary STEM education is concentrated in the Global North, with 73% of affiliations and the United States accounting for 30% of publications — related
• Computing education has historically excluded marginalized student populations, and large inequities in access persist — related