From Hotspots to School Bus Wi-Fi, Districts Seek Out Solutions to ‘Homework Gap’

While most schools in the US boast broadband access these days, there is a homework gap—the problem created when students who use digital learning in class can’t get online at home to finish up their schoolwork. There isn’t going to be a silver bullet on this issue, said Susan Bearden, chief innovation officer at the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), during a panel at the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition conference. Travis Litman, the chief of staff and senior legal advisor for Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who coined the term “homework gap,” emphasized the growing urgency of addressing the digital divide. One of the ideas he put forward for closing the homework gap is fairly simple. It involves mapping out areas within a community—or even across an entire state—where Wi-Fi is available for free. Schools, nonprofits and local governments could then provide students with the maps showing where they can find free internet in their area. Mapping is already being done in WA, TX, and CA, among other places, Litman said. 

Michael Flood, vice president of strategy at Kajeet, a K-12 wireless provider and device management company, described two ideas that his company is trying in nearly every state. One is “SmartSpot,” a portable Wi-Fi hotspot for education. The other solution is equipping school buses with Wi-Fi—something Kajeet is now doing in more than 200 school districts.