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WHY THE HOMEWORK GAP THREATENS PUBLIC EDUCATION

Public education is currently facing a homework gap crisis. This crisis is amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and that jeopardizes the achievement of America’s students.

WHAT IS THE HOMEWORK GAP?

According to CoSN’s digital equity toolkit, only 3% of teachers in socioeconomically disadvantaged schools feel that their students have digital access to the tools they need to complete homework assignments. 

When you compare this with the 52% of teachers in more affluent districts who feel their students are properly equipped, you have a significant digital divide in America’s schools.

This schism is called the homework gap, and it threatens the very foundation of American education.

WHY IS IT SUCH A PROBLEM?

The homework gap is problematic for many reasons, including:

  1. Equity. When one member of a learning community is denied the right to achieve their full academic potential, the whole community suffers.
  2. Access. The internet is a gateway to learning. If students from rural or lower income homes don’t have access to the internet, then they can’t complete assignments, attend virtual class sessions, or watch online tutorials.
  3. Opportunity. Inequitable distribution of high-speed internet creates barriers to learning. This limits students’ lifelong opportunities.
  4. Instability. Crises make the homework gap worse. Whether it’s a world-wide pandemic (such as the coronavirus), or a local flood, wildfire, or earthquake, disruptions to regular schooling cause America’s achievement gap to grow.

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO TO CLOSE IT?

Like most problems, the first step schools can take is to recognize that they have one. Few districts are immune to the digital divide. Therefore, educational leaders need to identify the degree to which internet inequality exists within their learning communities.

The second step is to rectify it. SIMETRY’s Connected Learning solutions can help your district ensure that all students have access to reliable, high-speed internet. Our equipment is future-ready, with 5G-capable LTE. We also offer content filtering and mobile device management (MDM) services to support safe learning at home.

To see how SIMETRY can help close the homework gap in your school, give us a call or request a quote today.

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