Can Tech Level The Educational Playing Field For Black And Latine Students?

How educational companies like Teachers Pay Teachers and Pearson are using tech to help tackle racial inequalities in education.

Historically, the tech world has often failed to fix the systemic racial inequalities faced by people of color. Because the tech sector has become a significant driver of economic advancement and social equity, advocacy groups have begun to inquire about its contribution to racial equity on a large scale.

At the height of the pandemic, individuals and businesses heavily relied on the influence of technology to overcome the challenges presented by the public health crisis. Despite the influence that tech had on streamlining processes during stay-home protection orders and limitations, there seemed to be a disconnect regarding the impact of the role of advanced technological systems and their influence on marginalized communities.

Has tech worsened educational inequalities?

A 2022 report by the Kapor Center and the NAACP found that Black communities are yet to fully benefit from technology’s expanding expertise. In educational sectors, Black students in the K-12 system continue to bear the brunt of inequalities in the quality of teachers, school funding, resources, curriculum quality, access to technology, and broadband accessibility. Collectively, these inequalities accumulate to create poor educational opportunities for minority students.

According to The Hechinger Report, the Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics (STEM) field continues to have a low representation of Black and Hispanic professionals, with Black STEM professionals representing only 9% of STEM workers, while Hispanics comprise only 7% of STEM workers.

According to Keli Christopher PhD, founder of STEM Greenhouse, a Michigan-based nonprofit organization committed to nurturing STEM proficiency in minority students, technology is yet to positively influence students of color in a meaningful way. 

Students who have access to quality math and science education seem to be the students who have access to the most technology.

“In some ways, technology has widened the knowledge gap because students who have access to quality math and science education seem to be the students who have access to the most technology,” Christopher told POCIT. “Meanwhile, less resources are made available to students who lack the proficiency needed in math and science.’’

Christopher further stated that for students of color to fully benefit from tech, they need to have a solid grasp on the foundations that make tech systems thrive.

“Technology has to build upon a foundation of quality math and science education. For example, adding coding or robotics without these critical prerequisites has not made a significant difference, in my opinion,’’ said Christopher.

Tech companies can play their part

Following the death of George Floyd, education companies Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) and Pearson were among the tech companies that publicly joined the fight against racial injustice.

For example, Teachers Pay Teachers, a digital marketplace for teacher-created educational content, is addressing systemic challenges in education by giving funds to educators who have the influence to inspire action. In 2020, TpT funded $100,000 in grants to educators to create vital resources that encourage discussions around social injustice and biases to create learning environments that support minority students. Their Teacher-Author Toolkit also equips teachers with the tools needed to create inclusive content.

“TpT takes their mission and puts it into every iota of the things that they do, from the individual level, all the way up to the executive team. When they claim to have a commitment to diversity, you can see the truth in that.  It’s not just an empty statement.”

Tez Smith, Software Engineer at Teachers Pay Teachers

Another company that has been intentional about social justice and anti-racism is Pearson. In 2021, the multinational education publishing and assessment company released a detailed series of editorial guidelines on ethnicity and race to guide its editors, reviewers and authors to create meaningful representations of minorities and challenge racial stereotypes and associated prejudices in all Pearson courseware, digital materials, services, qualifications and assessments.

Tech companies and nonprofit organizations are leveraging the power of education and technology to bridge the racial divide, but there is still a long way to go.

Technology is an effective tool with boundless potential, but it cannot replace the need for human empathy and connection in tackling racial inequalities wherever they show up.

Teachers Pay Teachers and Pearson are hiring on POCIT.