The broadband ‘homework gap’ is real. Missouri needs Washington’s help to close it

Every single Missouri school district has closed for the year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The families of nearly 1 million students in the state have seen their lives disrupted as they scramble to adjust to online learning. But some Missouri families, students and teachers are being held back by a lack of critical home digital infrastructure they now need to learn.

From Kansas City to St. Louis, and in the small towns in between, there are students who don’t have access to broadband internet at home. This is not just a Missouri issue — between 9 and 12 million U.S. school-age children don’t have the high-speed internet connectivity they need to learn from home. This shortcoming, known as the “homework gap,” disproportionately affects rural, low-income and minority students.

Many Missouri districts want to go digital but are struggling to do so in an equitable way. Districts that are implementing online learning have found that students without internet access miss critical instruction time, collaboration with peers, enrichment resources and opportunities to utilize educational tools. This lack of internet access significantly impacts these students’ ability to stay competitive in their post-secondary pursuits, whether it be college, industry or a trade.

For students in these communities, Missouri school districts such as Camdenton’s have been providing paper packets to ensure continuity of learning during this crisis. This does not offer the same level of engagement as online learning options do, though. Oftentimes, students in need receive these packets by mail or from school buses that are currently distributing weekly lunch assistance.

Being in a suburb of Kansas City, the Raytown school district worked to make progress on this issue before the virus arrived. Thanks to the help of corporate partners such as Comcast and affordable internet options through Google and Spectrum, 96% of our students have ultrafast online access at home for their district-provided devices. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Spectrum and Comcast are now providing 60 days of free internet access to families in the area with school-age children. These corporate donations are helpful, but they are also temporary, and not all families qualify.

For that reason, the federal government must do more to ensure that students from our vulnerable families don’t fall behind in school because of a lack of connectivity at home during this emergency. To help Missouri schools provide equitable online learning, Congress and the administration should:

▪ Allocate at least $5 billion in the next recovery package to give students safe access to high-speed internet at home.

▪ Allow schools to access emergency E-Rate funding through the Federal Communications Commission. By changing the definition of “classroom” to the place where a student receives their classes, rather than the actual school building, this money could be used for increasing students’ home connectivity.

▪ Increase the total amount of emergency funding for K-12 education. School districts’ needs have already outpaced the funds from the last economic rescue package.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light a shift in education that was already picking up steam. Some school districts are ahead in the virtual learning game, but many are playing catch-up. It is clear that in 2020, having broadband internet at home is not optional — it is a requirement for learning.

Advocates from across the country have sent more than 7,000 letters to U.S. representatives and senators reinforcing a single message: Teachers, parents and students need more help. As Missouri families struggle to cope with this high-speed change, the federal government must provide them with the high-speed internet access they need to succeed.

Allan Markley is superintendent of Missouri’s Raytown C-2 School District.

This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "The broadband ‘homework gap’ is real. Missouri needs Washington’s help to close it."