Start Me Up: Exploring the effect of internet-enabled computers on Brazilian High School National Exam performance amid the COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of computer availability with internet access on the mathematics proficiency of participants in the Brazilian National High School Exam (ENEM) during the Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in 2020 and 2021. The analysis used data from 2018 to 2023 from the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (INEP) and employing the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method. The findings indicated that uneven access to technology aggravated educational gaps, affecting public and private school students differently. In public institutions, the coefficient's magnitude for 2020 was 48% and 19% higher compared to 2018 and 2019, respectively; for private schools, it was 18% and 3%. In 2022, after the COVID-19 health crisis, the disparities were 27% for public schools and 11% for private schools. The study emphasizes the need for public policies that promote an equitable distribution of technological resources to mitigate educational disparities.