(1) A study from Michigan State University finds that students who do not have home internet access or who rely solely on a mobile plan for their internet access spend more time on their homework, have lower grade point averages, and have weaker digital skills, even after controlling for socioeconomic factors that potentially influence academic performance (2). While many households have wireless broadband internet access through smartphones, these services generally are insufficient for educational purposes since they do not have the same capacity, reliability, or speeds available through wireline services. For this analysis, “high-speed home internet” refers to a wireline broadband internet subscription-high-speed internet service provided via cable, fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL). Nationwide, across all racial and ethnic groups, 16.9 million children remain logged out from instruction because their families lack the home internet access necessary to support online learning, a phenomenon known as the “homework gap.” According to an analysis of data from the 2018 American Community Survey conducted for All4Ed, National Urban League, UnidosUS, and the National Indian Education Association, millions of households with children under the age of 18 years lack two essential elements for online learning: (1) high-speed home internet service and (2) a computer. Sadly, that was not an option for children in one out of three Black, Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native households. In most cases, that meant logging in to online classes and accessing lessons and assignments through a home internet connection. school system, forcing more than 55 million students to transition to home-based remote learning practically overnight. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a near-total shutdown of the U.S. J16.9 Million Children Remain Logged Out Because They Don’t Have Internet at Home

The homework gap