BSU Study: Lack of Internet Impacts Thousands of Students
A study from Ball State University says approximately 84
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAs schools resume in the weeks ahead, many are emphasizing remote learning. But the digital divide in the Hoosier state could impact online education for thousands of school-aged children.
A new report from Ball State University indicates more than 84,000 K-12 students in Indiana may lack internet access at home.
The study, conducted by Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research, points out the interruption of school in March due to the pandemic resulted in wide variation in delivering online education because there are large gaps in internet access across the state.
“The lack of access to appropriate devices and the internet — also known as the digital divide —could increase educational and social gaps among children,” said Michael Hicks, economist and director of the CBER. “This policy brief helps to gauge the impact on vulnerable children without access to the internet.”
The study found that about 68,649 to 84,118 Indiana school-age children do not have internet access at home.
Hicks said the study also found the most urban areas of the state, including the city of Indianapolis and northwest Indiana near Chicago, and the most rural parts of the state have the highest percentages of households without internet access.
“This inequality in internet access could further increase the learning gap between children with and without access to the internet,” said Hicks.
CBER’s study found that among households with school-age children and without internet access, 57% are single-parent households, 35% are low-income families, and 49% are households living in rental property.
“In the coming months, Indiana lawmakers will need to fund efforts to remediate students whose educational achievement suffered due to the pandemic,” said Hicks. “Indiana policymakers must also prepare for learning impacts of school closings during the 2020-2021 school year.”
To view the Ball State study, click here.