Boston Consulting Group in partnership with Common Sense Media
Across the United States, even before the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, there was a significant digital divide between K-12 students with and without access to high-speed internet and computing devices at home, known as the“homework gap.”
A new analysis by Common Sense and BCG finds that the nature of the homework gap has changed in this period of distance learning caused by the pandemic, and that the gap is larger than previously understood. The analysis puts a first-year price tag on closing the gap, and for the first time estimates the digital divide for public school teachers.
This report provides a detailed assessment of the digital divide’s interrelated components of internet connection and devices, and their respective technical requirements, which are needed to ensure adequate distance learning for today’s K-12 students and teachers.