by on Unfinished Business Series: Understanding the 3 Digital Divides in American Schools
Key findings from the Speak Up Research Project
In this series of three reports, we examine the state of each of the three digital divides through the lens of the Speak Up Research findings.
Using the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan as context, these reports address the following three topics and questions specifically related to understanding:
- The Digital Access Divide: addressing opportunities for students and educators to gain equitable access to educational technology
- The Digital Use Divide: addressing opportunities to improve how students use technology to enhance their learning
- The Digital Design Divide: addressing opportunities for educators to expand their professional learning and build the capacities necessary to design learning experiences enabled by technology
The first report focuses on the inequities that still exist regarding access to technology and Internet access in the classroom despite significant investments in digital learning devices, online curriculum and content and Internet connectivity within schools. Where appropriate, we reference longitudinal data from the Speak Up Research dataset from 2003-2023 to provide additional context. School-level demographic analysis of the research findings enables greater clarity to understand where gaps and unfinished business still exist relative to technology access.
In this second report in the special series, we examine how digital tools and resources are used within America’s classrooms to create active learning experiences, which help students develop learner self-efficacy and agency, as well as critical workplace skills. Using the feedback from over 7,600 K-12 classroom teachers from 2022 – 2024, this report prioritizes the experiences of teachers to understand what is needed to close the digital use divide.
