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LEVERAGE FEDERAL FUNDING TO CLOSE THE HOMEWORK GAP

The CDC and FEMA have recommended that high-speed Internet access for every family with students in K-12 public schools is a prerequisite for reopening the country. To help states estimate how much money it will cost to close the homework gap, we have created a tool that incorporates the following data: 

• Estimated unconnected students by state
• Estimated cost of wireline solutions by state
• Estimated cost of LTE hotspots by state

Use this tool to calculate the predicted cost of ensuring home Internet access for students in your state:

IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE TOOL

• This analysis provides estimates. If you have more precise figures for your state, you can insert them in the “Set Custom Variables Here” section of the “Input-Output” tab.
• The default cost estimate accounts for one month of service; however, home learners may require connectivity for a longer time period depending on the duration of school closures. You can update the duration in the “Set Custom Variables Here” section. 
• This analysis does not factor in the cost of ensuring all students have remote learning devices (e.g., laptops or tablets). 
• For questions on how to use the spreadsheet, please reference the “Info” tab in the spreadsheet.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

Leverage existing federal funding and advocate for enough money to close the home access gap. Congress has made $16.4 billion available for education spending through the CARES Act, which can be used to cover the costs of remote learning (visit this page for more info). Congress is currently deliberating on whether to allocate funding to address this issue directly in the next stimulus package, so let your Senators and Representatives know about the importance of home Internet access for your students’ education.

Visit this page for an in-depth look at the state’s role in addressing the homework gap.