While access to digital devices, the internet, and digital skills training has been uneven in the United States for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic magnified these disparities. More than ever, digital tools are central to performing daily tasks—from completing school assignments and applying for jobs, to reviewing personal health records, and making financial transactions.

Following the sudden shift to remote learning in 2020, many teenagers from low-income households, including immigrant ones, encountered this digital divide and other barriers to learning in the virtual context. For English Learner students, digital access and literacy challenges were often compounded by language barriers.

Read the full article about digital equity by Essey Workie, Lillie Hinkle, Anna deDufour, and Valerie Lacarte at Migration Policy Institute.