From 2018 to 2022, “Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services” majors increased 23 percent, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, from 423,315 to 518,844.
Rural students, however, face a digital divide surrounding internet reliability and technology access, as well as lacking education opportunities.
In 2019, around 76 percent of rural students had fixed broadband internet access at home, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s lower than those in towns (79 percent), cities (80 percent) and suburban areas (87 percent).
Last week, the White House announced the “Online for All” initiative, which will work with more than 300 national and community organizations “to close the digital divide.”
“In the 21st century, high-speed internet is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Which is why President Biden and I are in the process of making high-speed internet affordable for everyone,” Vice President Harris said in a recent video.
Part of the campaign will point people to the Affordable Connectivity Program that was passed under the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Currently, more than 18.5 million households are part of the program, which is saving more than $500 million per month on high-speed internet bills for everyday Americans, according to the White House.
“Certainly that broadband connectivity is something that we’ve been thinking about as rural education scholars for a long time, and I think it became more visible to those who are sort of outside of that bubble” during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Amy Azano, professor and director of the Center for Rural Education at Virginia Tech.
However, the more pressing issue for a majority of rural students is they don’t have the technology education available to them that others do.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
