Exploring the Digital Divide and the African American Achievement Gap in Online Education

Exploring the Digital Divide and the African American Achievement Gap in Online Education
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Exploring the Digital Divide and the African American Achievement Gap in Online Education
Francis, D. V., & Weller, C. E. (2022). Economic inequality, the digital divide, and remote learning during COVID-19. The Review of Black Political Economy, 49(1), 41-60.
The authors believe that education can disrupt the chain of wealth inequality by offering enriched educational opportunities for all. Such an education system is critical in allowing students from low-wealth backgrounds have access to the opportunities that such an education offers. However, the researchers believe that if the education system remains unchecked, it can uphold the intergenerational cycle of wealth inequality, especially where wealth is a major determinant of access to the highest quality of education. In the paper, the investigators demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to widen the existing racial wealth inequality. The pandemic has forced schools to shift to online learning. Unfortunately, the researchers observed that most of the students of color, including the African Americans, have fewer opportunities to participate in remote learning during COVID-19 compared to their white counterparts. The students of color have less reliable access to the Internet and electronic devices than white learners.
The article is relevant because it demonstrates why the widening digital gap adversely affects African Americans’ online education. The inability of African American families to afford internet connectivity and electronic devices like their white counterparts is a major concern. The article brings up the idea of wealth inequality as a major contributor to the digital divide. This is instrumental in demonstrating that the inability of African American families to meet the demands of online learning is forcing their children to have less effective opportunities for online learning. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has come at a cost for learners. For higher-income families, online learning for their children has proceeded normally. However, the same benefit has not accrued to African American children. The article demonstrates that wealth inequality between African American and white families has made accessing quality online education challenging for the former.
Graham, R., & Smith, D. T. (2011). Internet as digital practice: Examining differences in African American Internet usage. Future Internet, 3(3), 185-203.
The authors investigate the differences within the African American population regarding internet use in the study. The investigators consider the differences between the haves and have-nots. They indicate that the haves groups can acquire and utilize ICTs like the Internet, mobile phone technology, and various software applications. For the have-nots, such benefits are not readily available, adversely affecting their ability to take advantage of technological advancements. The investigators seek to determine the frequency of Internet use by African Americans relative to other racial groups. The results indicate that African Americans use the Internet for basic communication activities relatively less frequently than the other racial groups. Further, the group uses the Internet for advanced communication activities less frequently than the other ethno-racial groups.
The inability of African Americans to use the Internet more frequently, like other racial groups, is reflected in the education system, where black students have fewer opportunities to access online education compared to their white learners. The article is relevant because it demonstrates that the inability of most African American people to access the Internet directly affects their online education. Given that online education requires learners to access the Internet, African American students are less likely to be effective in online learning. The challenges facing black students due to the limited access to the Internet inhibit their ability to achieve their full potential. Since African American students are disadvantaged in accessing online opportunities, they are likely to perform poorly. Conclusively, the inability of a majority of African American students to access the Internet means they cannot fully participate in online education. It is critical for measures to be taken to improve access to the Internet for African Americans.
Anakwe, A., Majee, W., Noel-London, K., Zachary, I., & BeLue, R. (2021). Sink or swim: Virtual life challenges among African American families during COVID-19 lockdown. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 4290.
The authors delve into how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected access to education for African American families. The investigators indicate that the US government took radical measures to reduce the transmission of the virus and, subsequently, the deaths associated with it. One such measure was the shift to online learning. The authors demonstrate that such a measure forced some learners to adopt online learning while others missed school completely, especially in rural areas. The investigators believe that the pandemic has highlighted unresolved issues of the digital divide in the country. The major focus is how the pandemic has exposed racial disparities in the nation. Underlying root causes like economic inequalities continue to affect African Americans disproportionately. While the government has worked harder to ensure a smooth transition to online learning, this has locked more African American students from accessing online education.
The article is critical in demonstrating how systematic issues like racism affect online access to education for learners. The pandemic has forced schools to employ online learning to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. While such a measure has allowed students to learn safely, it has also discriminated against African American families who cannot access the Internet. The pandemic demonstrates the digital divide is still a problem in the US. The inability of African American students to access the same opportunities in online education as the other racial groups, especially whites, exposes how the digital divide advances racial inequalities among learners. Hence, while the government has done well to enhance the safety of learners during the pandemic, it should work towards bridging the digital divide the shift to online learning has brought. Otherwise, if the government does not intervene, the digital divide will continue disadvantaging African American learners.
Boone, M., Hendricks, M. L., & Waller, R. (2014). Closing the digital divide and its impact on minorities. Global E Learning, 3, 1-6.
The investigators acknowledge that the US has worked towards bridging the digital divide for African American minorities and individuals from low-income families. As a result, the authors indicate that there has been much talk...