Finding #2: Differences in Access to Ed Tech
Different patterns emerge with higher concentrations of poverty
Teachers in high-poverty schools are more likely to cite a lack of access to devices as a barrier to using digital learning tools.
From the NewSchools-Gallup Survey on Ed Tech
While the classroom connectivity gap might now be closed, survey data indicate access to in-school devices remains inequitably distributed. More teachers in high-poverty than low-poverty schools say their students share a small number of devices in classrooms. Compared to teachers in low-poverty schools, fewer teachers in high-poverty schools indicate students are provided with their own devices to use in class. Further, more teachers in high-poverty schools say having too few devices to use — as well as having access to devices that are too old — are significant factors that might discourage some teachers from using digital learning tools.
Implications
As others have noted, ed tech hardware can be expensive to purchase, depreciates quickly and requires ongoing maintenance — all of which may create significant access and implementation barriers for students and teachers in high-poverty schools. Beyond these costs to education systems, this challenge also has important implications for ed tech product developers seeking to support a wide range of students and teachers. For example, digital learning tools designed for 1:1 device-to-student classroom environments may fail to meet the needs of many teachers and students, especially those in high-poverty schools.
