Many Students Still Lack Home Internet. Here's How Big the Problem Is.

The vast majority of school district leaders and principals say at least some of their students still don't have sufficient internet access at home for remote learning. And most educators believe the U.S. government should be providing more funding to ensure that's no longer the case. Two recent surveys reflect strong convictions among educators that the level of home internet access in the communities they serve continues to be inadequate. With millions of students learning from home as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the urgency to resolve those issues remains very high.

Slightly more than two-thirds of district leaders and principals say they need government funds for purchasing hotspots or home Wi-Fi for families, according to a nationwide EdWeek Research Center survey conducted in late September and early October. Only 11 percent of respondents to that survey said all students in their school or district have the level of home internet access they need to fully participate in remote instruction.

Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan group of state and district education leaders, released a report calling for a federal commitment to universal broadband access. The group highlights local efforts to improve internet access in various states, but argues schools don't currently have the resources to comprehensively solve the problem on their own.