US schools are going back to in-person learning as COVID ebbs, but the so-called homework gap will persist.
The coronavirus shined a light on the homework gap, or the disparity between the haves and have-nots when it comes to those students with laptops, tablets and high-speed internet and those without even basic online access. But the waning of the pandemic’s threat is a stark reminder that this aspect of the larger digital divide was a problem long before, and will remain one even as things return to normal.
But the seismic shift sparked by the coronavirus has some optimistic that more change is on the way.
When schools across the country shut down in March 2020, more than 50 million students across the nation were forced to access their education remotely. This sent districts scrambling to replace their in-person instruction with some form of online learning. Some schools offered live video streams, while others posted assignments online and expected students to access content and assignments.
