As more families pivot back to remote learning
amid quarantines and school closures, reliable,
consistent access to devices and home internet
remains elusive for many students who need
them to keep up with their schoolwork. Home
internet access for students has improved since
the onset of the pandemic with help from
philanthropy, federal relief funding and other
efforts — but obstacles linger, including a lack of
devices, slow speeds and financial hurdles.
Concerns around the digital divide have shifted
toward families that are “underconnected” and
able to access the internet only sporadically,
said Vikki Katz, a communication professor at
Rutgers University.
“It’s about whether or not you can withstand the
disruptions of these quick pivots in ways that don’t
derail your learning,” she said.
In two studies, one conducted in 2015 and
another in 2021, Katz and other researchers
surveyed low-income families with young
children. While rates of home internet access
and computer ownership are up significantly,
the proportion of lower-income families whose
internet access is unreliable or insufficient
remained roughly the same.
A year into the pandemic, more than half the
families Katz surveyed reported that their
children’s ability to tune into online classes had
been disrupted in some way.
Racial and income divides persist in home internet
access, according to data from the Pew Research
Center. One survey conducted in April of 2020
found that during the initial school closures, 59%
of lower-income families faced digital barriers,
such as having to log on from a smartphone,