Bilingual literacy and a modern digital divide

The increasing social, economic and linguistic disparities among American students has consistently been a critical issue in education. As the role of digital technology continues to gain importance within the educational system, these inequalities have intensified to an even more obvious extent. This is evidenced by the substantial number of children in the South Florida region who are especially at risk for academic underachievement because they and their schools experience a "digital divide" caused by complex factors. The current digital divide is not simply about economic resources, but it is instead a combination of several factors: how computers and other digital resources are used in school and in the home, if and when they are available; how economic conditions interact with language use and background; and the underrepresentation of the Spanish language among Internet sources.