Ensuring Equality of Educational Opportunity in the Digital Age

Abstract

As the quintessential right-to-education case, Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, (1954) addressed equality of educational opportunity for all students regardless of race. Recently, the term digital divide has been used primarily to highlight inequities between various social groups with respect to acquiring computers and accessing the Internet. Given how use of these technologies has permeatedour society, including our nation’s schools, all relevant aspects of the digital divide must be addressed if the spirit of Brown is to be realized. Hence, in this article, the multidimensional meaning of the term digital divide is discussed, as are (a) the effect of this phenomenon as it relates to equality of educational opportunity for all students and (b) ways to address it.