Digital Divisions: How Schools Create Inequality in the Tech Era

Schools play a central role in efforts to provide equitable access to technology for all young people, regardless of identity or background. However, Matthew H. Rafalow's study of three California middle schools reveals that teachers interpret students' existing digital skills very differently based on race and class. Teachers praise affluent White students as "innovative" when they bring preexisting tech skills to class, while less affluent students of color receive no such recognition for identical behavior. Middle-class Asian American students with digital skills are labeled "hackers," while working-class Latinx students with similar creative digital abilities are either overlooked or labeled troublemakers. Rafalow finds that students across all backgrounds use digital technology with sophistication and creativity. Yet only teachers in schools serving predominantly White, affluent students help students convert their digital skills into educational capital. Teachers function as gatekeepers for students' potential, responding differently based on race and class. The digital divide, therefore, extends beyond mere access to technology—it concerns how schools perceive the value of digital skills and apply them in daily practice.