While education is seen as a key lever for social mobility, student outcomes in Australia remain strongly linked to socio-economic background. The report explores the potential of edtech to help bridge this gap, especially given the increasing prevalence of AI-enabled tools.

This report explores how four dimensions of digital equity – access, data, design, and use – each contribute to or hinder educational equity, finding that although technology can help bridge learning gaps it can also exacerbate existing disadvantages.

The authors call for policymakers to establish a Digital Equity Learning Guarantee to address data and design inequities in digital tools, ensuring all Australian students can benefit from the highest quality digitally enabled teaching and learning resources.

The proposed Digital Equity Learning Guarantee would:

1. provide free or low-cost access to quality digital devices and connectivity to support disadvantaged students’ learning, and additional resources to lift digital skills and AI literacy;
2. expand the effective use of digital teaching and learning tools, especially to improve outcomes for disadvantaged and special needs students, through professional learning opportunities and preservice teacher education; 
3. set equity and inclusion as core design expectations of edtech used in Australian schools through standards, procurement processes and co-investment by government and industry to develop and scale equity-focused design; and
4. ensure the highest level privacy and safety protections for children and students in the design and use of educational technologies.