Reliable Internet access was a larger barrier to remote and hybrid learning than device access, especially in urban areas¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2026: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Access to reliable Internet connection was a larger barrier to remote and hybrid learning than access to digital devices, especially in urban areas. → Stephen Lipscomb 2021

Evidence¶

Stephen Lipscomb 2021¶

Stephen Lipscomb, Forest Crigler, Duncan Chaplin. (2021). School Instruction in Pennsylvania During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Mathematica. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/school-instruction-in-pennsylvania-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

q2 · i? · associational · r2

The LEA survey found that "Access to reliable Internet connection was a larger barrier to remote and hybrid learning than access to digital devices was, especially in urban areas." This is a descriptive comparison; no effect size is printed.

"Access to reliable Internet connection was a larger barrier to remote and hybrid learning than access to digital devices was, especially in urban areas."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Access — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• During spring 2020 remote instruction, internet connectivity and hardware/software problems interfered with course participation for large shares of undergraduates — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• COVID-19 school closures highlighted the need to understand promising remote learning strategies when no classroom alternatives exist — related
• Online apprenticeship learning offers greater flexibility than in-person learning despite implementation challenges for hybrid or remote options — related
• Rural SIG schools reported additional challenges from remote locations and large catchment areas beyond those reported by nonrural SIG schools — related
• Immediately after closure, New York charter students lacked adequate devices (44.4% on average) more often than adequate internet access (27.0%), while teachers were almost universally equipped — reports the opposite
• Student access to devices and internet rose from about 60 percent in March 2020 to at least 98 percent by March 2021 — 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
• Teachers' technology use increased during COVID-19 remote learning, but infrastructure and device barriers hindered effective integration — related
• Local leaders supported student learning in similar and different ways across in-person, hybrid, and remote instructional modalities — related
• In informal virtual programs, technology access was the first and most significant barrier to participating in Hero Elementary — related
• AI in adult education risks reinforcing existing inequalities via the digital divide, particularly for rural, low-income, and marginalized learners — related
• Individual internet penetration in rural Bangladesh (36.5%) is about half the urban rate (71.4%), which one case-study preprint argues puts cloud-dependent AI tools out of reach for rural learners — related
• Digital access among adults on the margins is not a one-time event but an ongoing, contingent accomplishment requiring an assemblage of resources — related
• A rural district that closed device and connectivity divides and trained teachers saw graduation rates rise from 67 percent to over 94 percent and college enrollment double — related