Digital divide: Gap is narrowing, but how will schools maintain progress?

Like many school districts, Brunswick School Department in Maine suddenly has a lot more laptops and tablets to manage than it planned for. School officials in the seaside town scrambled to purchase enough devices for all their students to learn online last year after the pandemic hurtled kids out of buildings.

As the district prepares to reopen for full in-person learning on August 30, teachers are attending training sessions and figuring out just what role technology will play in their classrooms. There’s a simmering sense of anticipation about how far educators have come with technology, and its potential to enhance student learning.

“I am excited,” says Brunswick kindergarten teacher Stephanie Lucas, who describes herself as slow to get on board with technology, but more experienced after teaching remotely. “My goal for this year is to see how I’ll make [digital tools] effective in the classroom.” 

As teachers develop lesson plans, they also face lingering questions, in Maine and nationally, over the possibility of a return to

Community collaborations“This is essential to access education”