Dive Brief:

• Jess Peterson, a teacher at Washington Manor Middle School in California, says that too many teachers have scrapped flipped learning prematurely due to concerns over students' access to the web or tech devices at home.
• Instead, Peterson writes in eSchoolNews, flipped learning can actually help close the tech equity gap if executed correctly and with parent and district buy-in.
• To help students who need it, however, teachers have to first determine what is lacking, and then think creatively to remedy the problem, for example, by convincing parents to let students use their smartphones to complete assignments.

Dive Insight:

Peterson suggests using a classwide survey to find out who has what, and then plan a flipped learning rollout complete with workarounds for those who need it.

Programs like E-rate may help as schools and districts works to close the "homework gap" — a detail that FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel says is critical to ensuring equity. Last year, E-rate saw its funding soar from $1.5 to $3.9 billion and fielded 92% more funding applications in 2015 than 2014.

Rosenworcel previously told Education Dive that although FCC data shows that one in three households in the U.S. lack internet, seven out of 10 teachers still assign homework that requires a web connection.

The workarounds offered by Peterson might be a temporary solution to reap flipped learning benefits like more self-directed learning and the ability for students to set their own pace.