Adoption and Collaboration Are Essential for Addressing the Digital Divide

It’s August, and families are gearing up to send kids back to school – many for the first time in over a year. While many students will return to in-person learning this year, the education challenges for the millions of students living in the digital divide will not end when the school bell rings.

We know technology and connected learning will continue to play an important role in education and the long term success of our youth, and it’s critical we work now to help close the homework gap .

This week, I had an opportunity to join educators, technologists, investors and the philanthropy community for a thought-provoking discussion at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego about the impact of the digital divide on education. The ideas and input from my fellow panelists were incredibly valuable, and I wanted to share some of my biggest takeaways from the conversation:

• We are long overdue for change. As my fellow panelists all agreed, the challenges created by the digital divide have endured for at least two decades, exposing the disparities in education and technology when COVID-19 took education virtual. If there ever was a time to make a change, that time is now. Coming out of the pandemic, we must maintain the urgency and focus on ensuring children have the tools to receive a quality education regardless of their circumstances.
• Digital literacy is vital. The homework gap is definitely affected by network availability and affordability. But it’s equally affected by adoption. In the midst of the pandemic, parents, educators and nonprofit professionals all reported in a 2021 Morning Consult study that the biggest frustrations for children engaged in digital learning were not receiving enough help or engaging content. We need to show technology’s value and relevance to daily life so that parents and caregivers feel equipped to help their children and so that students know how to safely and productively engage online. New approaches to digital literacy and education content can help educators make the learning experience fun and easy to navigate.
• Collaboration can drive solutions. Some of the most inspiring work I’ve seen has involved collaborations, and that’s exactly what’s needed to drive change. We need public-private partnerships, private-nonprofit partnerships and partnerships between companies. AT&T’s working with federal policymakers, and we’re working with other companies, such as Dell, which is providing equipment for our Connected Learning Centers. We’re also working with nonprofits like Khan Academy and Connected Nation to help put learning content and devices into the hands of thousands of schools and children who need it most. Bridging the digital divide requires we continue building these alliances – and including tech startups and investors.

Education is a mainstay for personal economic opportunity and community stability and growth. That’s why we launched the AT&T Connected Learning program as part of our three-year, $2 billion commitment to help bridge the digital divide. We know technology access and adoption are essential in today’s education era, and I was pleased to see so many peers, colleagues and new partner faces at the ASU+GSV Summit share my sense of urgency to act.

The last 18 months show what’s at stake for American education and our communities if we do nothing with the lessons learned from the pandemic. While I am optimistic about the future, I also know we cannot afford to falter. The next generation’s quality of life depends on us getting this right.