Urban Disparities

URBAN TECH CONNECT: DISMANTLING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

  • Low-income urban communities lack access to computers and reliable internet
  • Without necessary technology, it’s more difficult for children to keep up and develop optimal skills for academic and professional success
  • LAUSD estimates that 25% of their students lack access to the internet
  • LA County: 36% of Latino students, 36% of Native American students, and 31% of Black students lack access to high-speed internet and a computer at home, compared with 11% of white students
  • 25% of Black teens report they have difficulty completing assignments due to a lack of access to technology

HOMEWORK GAP

  • The “Homework Gap” is the divide between students who have access to internet and computers required to do assignments at home and those who don’t
  • Lack of proper technology slows down efforts to close the gap between students in lower socioeconomic areas and their wealthier counterparts
  • COVID-19 and the pandemic have exacerbated this gap and the disparities will continue to grow with distance/remote learning becoming the norm for the upcoming school year