In a recent op-ed in The Hechinger Report, WSCUC President Jamienne S. Studley and Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, describe the disparities in access to distance education and the steps that policymakers can take to shrink the digital divide:

“…the reality is that millions of Americans — in rural and urban areas alike, and including many underrepresented minorities — lack the reliable broadband connections needed to access postsecondary and K-12 education in a nation that remains in partial lockdown. This longstanding digital divide for learners of all ages has morphed into a divide that is keeping these vulnerable students offline during a critical period.”

Read the full article in The Hechinger Report: “OPINION: College in a pandemic is tough enough — without reliable broadband access, it’s nearly impossible.”