Editing Digital divide (section)

=== Education ===
The digital divide impacts children's ability to learn and grow in low-income school districts. Without Internet access, students are unable to cultivate necessary technological skills to understand today's dynamic economy.<ref name=RichPoor>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor|title=Digital Divide: The Technology Gap between the Rich and Poor|website=Digital Responsibility|language=en-US|access-date=April 17, 2017|archive-date=May 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522160153/http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor/|url-status=live}}</ref> The need for the internet starts while children are in school – necessary for matters such as school portal access, homework submission, and assignment research.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aguilar |first1=Stephen J. |title=Guidelines and tools for promoting digital equity |journal=Information and Learning Sciences |date=17 June 2020 |volume=121 |issue=5/6 |pages=285–299 |doi=10.1108/ILS-04-2020-0084 |s2cid=225779640 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Task Force created a report showing that about 70% of teachers give students homework that demand access to broadband.<ref name="Hwk-Gap">{{cite web|url=http://neatoday.org/2016/04/20/the-homework-gap/|title=The Homework Gap: The 'Cruelest Part of the Digital Divide'|date=April 20, 2016|website=NEA Today|access-date=April 17, 2017|archive-date=August 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810130532/http://neatoday.org/2016/04/20/the-homework-gap/|url-status=live}}</ref> Approximately 65% of young scholars use the Internet at home to complete assignments as well as connect with teachers and other students via discussion boards and shared files.<ref name="Hwk-Gap"/> A recent study indicates that approximately 50% of students say that they are unable to finish their homework due to an inability to either connect to the Internet or in some cases, find a computer.<ref name="Hwk-Gap"/> Additionally, The [[Public Policy Institute of California]] reported in 2023 that 27% of the state’s school children lack the necessary broadband to attend school remotely, and 16% have no internet connection at all.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California's Digital Divide |url=https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-digital-divide/ |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=Public Policy Institute of California |language=en-US}}</ref>

This has led to a new revelation: 42% of students say they received a lower grade because of this disadvantage.<ref name="Hwk-Gap" /> According to research conducted by the Center for American Progress, "if the United States were able to close the educational achievement gaps between native-born white children and black and Hispanic children, the U.S. economy would be 5.8 percent—or nearly $2.3 trillion—larger in 2050".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.net-ref.com/whitepaper-connected-classroom/|title=The Digital Divide in the Age of the Connected Classroom|date=January 14, 2016|work=NetRef|access-date=April 17, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=May 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521161912/https://net-ref.com/whitepaper-connected-classroom/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In a reverse of this idea, well-off families, especially the tech-savvy parents in [[Silicon Valley]], carefully limit their own children's [[screen time]]. The children of wealthy families attend play-based preschool programs that emphasize [[social interaction]] instead of time spent in front of computers or other digital devices, and they pay to send their children to schools that limit screen time.<ref name=":4">{{cite news |last1=Bowles |first1=Nellie |date=26 October 2018 |title=The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/style/digital-divide-screens-schools.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312002731/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/style/digital-divide-screens-schools.html |archive-date=March 12, 2021}}</ref> American families that cannot afford high-quality childcare options are more likely to use [[tablet computer]]s filled with apps for children as a cheap replacement for a babysitter, and their government-run schools encourage screen time during school. Students in school are also learning about the digital divide.<ref name=":4" />

To reduce the impact of the digital divide and increase digital literacy in young people at an early age, governments have begun to develop and focus policy on embedding digital literacies in both student and educator programs, for instance, in Initial Teacher Training programs in Scotland. <ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Rationale – The National Framework for Digital Literacies in Initial Teacher Education |url=https://digitalliteracyframework.scot/rationale/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The National Framework for Digital Literacies in Initial Teacher Education was developed by representatives from Higher Education institutions that offer Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs in conjunction with the Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE) with the support of Scottish Government <ref name="auto"/> This policy driven approach aims to establish an academic grounding in the exploration of learning and teaching digital literacies and their impact on pedagogy as well as ensuring educators are equipped to teach in the rapidly evolving digital environment and continue their own professional development.