Giving Compass' Take:

· Daniele Selby explains that although schools are becoming more reliant on technology for educational purposes, millions of students in the U.S. lack access to technology and high-speed internet. 

· What role can funders play in expanding access to essential educational technology? Who has the greatest need for access to technology? 

· Read more about America's digital divide and the critical issues that need to be addressed.

Technology and the internet have become a vital part of modern living. Both crucially enable people to share information and ideas, and facilitate learning. Yet billions of people around the world lack access to these tools.

In the US alone, 24 million people don’t have access to high-speed internet and more than 20% of households do not have a computer. People living in low-income households or in poverty are more likely to experience difficulties accessing technology, according to the Pew Research Center.

This situation has created a digital divide in the educational attainment and income of those who can readily access technology and those who cannot. The digital divide also means that millions of students in the US struggle to realize their full potential.

Many schools, particularly in rural and low-income areas, do not have technological tools they need to enhance students’ learning and about a quarter of school districts in the US do not have high-speed internet.

Read the full article about access to technology and high-speed internet by Daniele Selby at Global Citizen.