There’s an Education Gap Between Rural and Urban Communities. Can Technology Bridge It?

Where a child is born has enormous influence over their educational future.

Even within nations, there tends to be a yawning gap between urban and rural education outcomes. For instance, according to one 2015 standardized assessment, 15-year-olds studying in urban schools in 37 countries outperformed rural students by roughly the equivalent of one full year of schooling, even after controlling for students’ socioeconomic backgrounds.

Many of the solutions intended to narrow this urban–rural gap rely on technology—with a particular focus on tech tools that can help connect far-flung students to quality educators. But are these technologies really up to the challenge?

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