Toledo Reporter

Digital divide, a noun, is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the internet, and those who do not.

Schooling in the midst of a pandemic highlighted the need to update that definition with one very important word: quality. The more relevant definition of the digital divide becomes: the gulf between those who have ready and quality access to computers and the internet, and those who do not. 

Parents of children in full-time online public schools, such as myself, have been keenly aware of the digital divide for years. But, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people began to see our point of view: lack of ready and quality access to the internet is hurting our children.

Imagine the digital divide as an actual physical divide – a gulf or a ravine. Not providing quality internet access to students is like paving a road on either side of the ravine without building a bridge to connect them. Sure, there’s a path, but you can’t actually get to the other side. In the case of the digital divide, even if there is ready access, lack of quality access immediately puts some students at a disadvantage. They’re starting way behind those students who are already on the other side of that ravine, who already have quality access to broadband internet.

So how can we bridge that gap? Provide quality internet or broadband access. I know that it’s more difficult and complex than it sounds. It’s one of our country’s biggest issues today. We need to find a way to overcome it if our students will succeed in a digital world.

The way kids learn is changing. When I was a kid, school was about memorizing facts and being able to regurgitate them on a test. Due to the advent of the internet, the memorization and regurgitation of facts is less important. Now, as I see with my children, learning is more about how you think, how you collaborate with others, and how you learn to do the research. More and more, employers want someone who knows how to do the research and can properly analyze and contextualize it. 

Those that are on the “wrong” side of the divide may not have the right tools, like quality access and devices. For that reason, they’re missing out on their ability to do school and homework, along with other essential skills. They’re being asked to participate in a race, but they’ve got to start a mile behind the rest of the contestants. 

COVID-19 highlighted this problem and brought it to the forefront. Trying to find a solution to the digital divide should be a priority for our government at all levels so kids can do their homework and their schoolwork safely at home.

The free and reduced-price lunch program – which has long been a priority program funded by the government – has made fantastic inroads at filling students’ bellies. Filling students’ minds is just as important. We should make sure that kids have quality access to the internet for schoolwork and homework every day. Broadband is now considered a basic part of infrastructure like electricity and water – so government funding should be directed toward providing that basic infrastructure to all families. 

Students are getting ready to return to the classroom for a brand-new school year. Now more than ever, our leaders need to focus on deploying higher quality broadband into rural and underserved, typically urban, areas. I encourage everyone to contact their federal, state, and local officials urge them to make broadband access a top priority.