The United States is threatened by the digital divide, a divide that threatens the success of future America, a more digital America. Technology is digging its roots into everyday life, whether it’s for trading stocks or typing a school essay. Internet access is also widely used for everything from emailing a friend across the world to finding a cake recipe to bake at home. A survey from Statista states that from the end of 1997 to the middle of 2011, internet access in households increased from 19% to 72%.[i] Technology and the internet have become central to society, so it should make sense for kids to learn about it and all it has to offer for the future.    

What is the digital divide?

Well, TEDx presenter Jim Sevier wants you to think of a train station.[ii] In the train station, there is the train, the platform, and the gap that separates the two.[iii] There are two types of people on the platform, the ones with digital skill and internet access and the ones who are the opposite, those lacking computer literacy and disconnected from digital life.[iv] Now think of the train as the digital world.[v] For those with skill and money, the gap is merely something to step over.[vi] But for the others, the gap is too wide, their strides can’t reach to the train’s door.[vii] So, they are left behind on the platform while those on the train ride away.[viii] That is the digital divide.[ix]

The divide is in part provoked by the current poverty gap in the United States. According to Pew Research, “62% of those” with a lower end salary use the internet, but “97% of those” with a high-end salary use the internet.[x] In low-income areas, “children are four times more likely” to not have access to proper internet.[xi] This shows that a student living in a low-income household may not be able to access the plentiful resources the internet has to require. This gap in poverty is proving detrimental to academic success versus economic disparity. A study by Dr. John Jerrim, who studies economics and social statistics at the Institute of Education at the University of London, concludes that students in poorer neighborhoods are often surpassed academically by their richer peers.[xii] It is also more likely that richer schools can afford STEAM classes while poorer schools may not. The richer kids will then gain access to the train and ride farther and farther away, leaving the poorer ones on the platform.

But why should people care?

From now until 2020, about three out of every four jobs in the United States will require some form of technological proficiency.[xiii] In that same time frame, UC Davis estimates that as many as “one million U.S. programming jobs” will be left unoccupied.[xiv] Because of the growing field of STEAM, companies are suffering from a high demand but low supply of workers.

So clearly there is a problem. The future is made of technology, but not enough people to supply it. Where is the center of this issue?

One of the main problems is education. Even though the United States is a leading global innovator in the STEAM field, some schools are still unable to receive funding, education, and resources to keep that status. Courses such as algebra, calculus, physics, and computer science are often considered the foundation for STEAM. Yet according to Matthew Randazzo, the National Math and Science Initiative’s chief executive officer, out of U.S. schools, “more than half” don’t teach calculus, “4 in 10” don’t teach physics, and “1 in 5” do not teach Algebra 2.[xv] Among high school students, almost every Asian-American or white student attends a high school where a full range of these courses is offered.[xvi] What is appalling is that schools attended by other ethnicities — “Hispanic, black, American Indian” — fare “significantly worse” in offering such a course range.[xvii]

The United States is seeing a drop in international rankings in subjects such as math and science, and companies are suffering from jobs unfilled.[xviii] Even though the United States is facing this issue, many schools still do not offer the necessary education to compensate for society’s change. If a school does offer such an education, it is most likely to be left for those who are affluent, leaving generally minorities behind. Students, the leaders of tomorrow, are not receiving the building blocks of the future, and that is a problem.

So, what can be done?

Not only should schools incorporate teaching the fundamentals — algebra, calculus, physics, etc. — to STEAM, but computer literacy classes such as coding should also be taught in the core curriculum. James Stigler, a developmental and cognitive psychology professor at UCLA, found that based on placement tests, only 40% of American students attending community college have the necessary scores to “take a college mathematics course”.[xix] Stigler states that students “are not taught to learn [math] in a deep way”.[xx] Students are not learning enough about problem-solving and abstract thinking. Instead, math is treated as memorization of procedures with the hope of finding the solution.

Incorporating computer science as a core curriculum can aid this issue because it is widely regarded as a problem-solving course. According to the University of Utah School of Computing, problem-solving is regarded as the “core to computer science”.[xxi] The ability to solve problems with abstract thinking to create algorithms and programs is what math is currently lacking. By introducing computer science into the core curriculum, students will not only be prepared for future jobs but also be prepared to think critically and abstractly.

Unfortunately, this solution does require funding elsewhere, either through donations from companies or budget from the government. Although companies like Google and Amazon are contributing, a major change will probably take time.

But maybe tech companies can play a role another way in bridging the divide.

As previously mentioned, STEAM is a growing industry and needs workers. Companies could give weekend or summer workshops to teach coding or some other STEAM related course. Not only could students learn more about this field but could also have a better chance when applying to jobs. The facts clearly state that most jobs will require some form of digital skill. So, by allowing even low-income communities the opportunity to learn these skills, students are set on a more equal playing field to their richer-community counterparts. This can help level the playing field when applying to jobs, which could supply workers for these jobs and bridge the divide.

There is another solution that students can use today.

The internet is full of a variety of resources and can be accessed at almost any library. In the United States in 2005, “free public access to computers and the Internet” was available at “98.9 percent” of public libraries.[xxii] So, chances are that the library near a student’s home, even if they are in a low-income area, will have internet access. The internet offers a variety of resources to teach STEAM, for example, for coding there is Codecademy, freeCodeCamp, Coursera, edX, and plenty more. The best part, all the websites stated are free to use.

Technology is growing at a tremendously rapid pace. Just about a decade ago, the first iPhone was released, and now autonomous vehicles are starting to hit the streets. Life is becoming digital, and so it is important that everyone should have knowledge and access to digital resources. Even if someone is black or white, female or male, poor or rich, no one should be left behind on the platform.