Advancing Digital Equity among Immigrant-Origin Youth

Given the important role of technology in education, as well as in the broader integration of immigrant families, this study identifies promising practices for increasing digital access and literacy among youth ages 15 to 17 who are immigrants themselves or have at least one immigrant parent, a group referred to as immigrant-origin youth. In 2021, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) researchers interviewed educators, staff of refugee resettlement agencies, community leaders, and library and information technology (IT) professionals working in Arizona, California, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. The research team examined how students and teachers adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which digital tools and training are available to immigrant-origin youth residing in lower-income areas, and opportunities to strengthen collaborations between people in the fields of education, immigrant integration, and telecommunications. After listing eight key findings from the study, the report makes a series of recommendations for ways the federal government, school systems, refugee resettlement programs, and other immigrant-serving organizations can increase access to digital tools and literacy among immigrant-origin youth.

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