Roughly 30% of U.S. k-12 students lacked high-speed internet or adequate devices for digital learning at home before the pandemic, with disparities by income and race¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Based on 2018 census data, roughly 30% of the 50 million U.S. k-12 students lacked either high-speed internet or an adequate device for digital learning at home, and nearly two thirds of these lacked both. → Darling-Hammond 2020 q2 i? Low-income parents were far more likely to report their children doing little or no remote learning during spring 2020 closures. → Darling-Hammond 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Darling-Hammond 2020¶

Darling-Hammond, L., Schachner, A., & Edgerton, A. K. (with Badrinarayan, A., Cardichon, J., Cookson, P. W., Jr., Griffith, M., Klevan, S., Maier, A., Martinez, M., Melnick, H., Truong, N., Wojcikiewicz, S.). (2020). Restarting and reinventing school: Learning in the time of COVID and beyond. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. http://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/restarting-reinventing-school-covid

q2 · i? · review · r2

The report cites a Common Sense Media and Boston Consulting Group report using 2018 census data, stating that 'roughly 30% of the 50 million k–12 students' lacked internet or devices, and that of these, 'nearly two thirds lacked both high-speed internet and a usable device.'

"Based on data from the 2018 census, roughly 30% of the 50 million k–12 students in the United States lacked either high-speed internet or devices with the capacity they need for easy access to digital learning at home."

Darling-Hammond 2020 (2)¶

Darling-Hammond, L., Schachner, A., & Edgerton, A. K. (with Badrinarayan, A., Cardichon, J., Cookson, P. W., Jr., Griffith, M., Klevan, S., Maier, A., Martinez, M., Melnick, H., Truong, N., Wojcikiewicz, S.). (2020). Restarting and reinventing school: Learning in the time of COVID and beyond. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. http://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/restarting-reinventing-school-covid

q2 · i? · review · r2

A spring 2020 national ParentsTogether survey of parents, reported in the Priority 1 section, found low-income parents 'nearly 10 times more likely to say their children were doing little or no remote learning than those from affluent homes (38% vs. 4%).' No effect size is printed.

"13% of parents from low-income homes (earning less than $25,000 annually) reported lacking devices or internet connections, and they were nearly 10 times more likely to say their children were doing little or no remote learning than those from affluent homes (38% vs. 4%)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Lack of home computer and broadband access hinders FAFSA completion policy implementation, particularly in rural and low-income areas — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• AI in adult education risks reinforcing existing inequalities via the digital divide, particularly for rural, low-income, and marginalized learners — related
• Digital infrastructure readiness determines the scalability and effectiveness of AI systems in higher education, with disparities between high-income and low-income regions — related
• Most Digital Café participants had home Internet but no one to help with everyday computer learning needs — related
• 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 — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• 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 — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• 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