National Research
Overcoming the Digital Divide: Distance-Learning Successes during the Pandemic

Overview
Published: September 2020
School closures in 2020 raised concerns about the impact of digital instruction on learning disparities. Usage of education technology programs like i-Ready shifted immediately, revealing that students who live in low-income zip codes were impacted more than students from higher-income zip codes. Despite the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools located in low-income zip codes used i-Ready during distance learning with students demonstrating personal growth. For this research, Curriculum Associates gathered both student data and educator experiences to learn how growth varied among schools that used i-Ready.
- Program:i-Ready Personalized Instruction for Mathematics, i-Ready Personalized Instruction for Reading
- Subject:Mathematics, Literacy
- Demographic:American Indian or Alaskan, Asian, Black, Economically Disadvantaged, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Latino, Two or More Races
- Grades:K–8
- Study Year:2019–2020