Digital Smarts - The Homework Gap – The Expanded Version

The divide between families who have computers with Internet access at home and those who do not is known as the ‘homework gap’. Numerous articles have been written on the subject, but the lack of technology is not the only reason children fall into the divide. There is also a chasm separating students with parents who control their own work schedules and those whose parents don’t. A 2014 report from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth noted that nonstandard work schedules have an effect on children’s cognitive development and success. Homework Inequality: The Value of Having a Parent Around After School, an article on The Atlantic site, examines the issue of parents not being there to help their children use technology for schoolwork tasks and supervise their proper use of digital media.