The Importance of Internet Access for Students and How to Provide It

As one-to-one learning becomes a fixture of K-12 and charter schools, reliable internet access is vital to students’ education. Student internet access is not only imperative within school walls but also at home where they continue to use their devices for assignments. From accessing online learning platforms to conducting research for projects, today’s students require high-speed internet to stay on track with school curriculum and learn to the best of their ability.

In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of internet access for students and how a robust asset management platform can help you manage devices and internet access in school and at home. 

The Importance of Internet Access for Students 

While most of us rely on the internet at work or at home, internet access has become especially important for students as learning becomes more technology focused. From labs to classrooms, it’s essential that schools provide high-speed internet access for a consistent learning experience. 

Reliable internet is not only invaluable in school settings but also vital for students that need to leverage their devices at home for assignments. This means providing internet hot spots for students with poor service to close the so-called, “homework gap.” Let’s take an in-depth look at the various reasons why internet access is so important for K-12 and charter school students. 

• Conducting research: In class or at home, students regularly need to conduct research for their assignments. Sometimes the research may be contextual to aid a student’s understanding of a certain subject, whereas other times it may be in-depth research for a long-form essay or project. Even with library access, students frequently rely on online resources and databases to find the information they need.
  
• Completing homework assignments: Students today rely on internet access at home just as much or more than they do in school. It’s estimated that 70% of homework assignments require internet access (Source: Pew Research Center). Even for assignments that don't require online resources, students may still need to conduct some contextual research for an assignment or collaborate with other students in a Google doc.
• Accessing online learning platforms: In the era of 1:1 learning, online portals play a large role in K-12 and charter school education. Teachers may post assignments and relevant resources digitally, and require homework to be turned in directly on the online learning portal to ensure it’s completed on time. Report cards are posted on these platforms as well, making internet access imperative for students and parents. 

The Current State of Internet in Schools 

As technology and internet access play increasingly integral roles in education, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has increased their internet bandwidth goals for schools. In December of 2022 they set an updated goal of 1 Gbps per 1,000 students and staff—as of March 2024, 74% of U.S. school districts meet this goal. To continue improving access within schools, the FCC offers an E-Rate program to provide discounted internet for schools and libraries. 

As of 2021, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 97% of students aged 3-18 had internet access at home, with 4% of those students only having access via smartphone. However, there continues to be lower internet accessibility rates in rural areas and low-income households. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center Survey, 22% of students aged 13-17 report having to use their phones or public internet networks to complete assignments, or not being able to complete online homework at all due to poor student internet access.  

How to Ensure Consistent Internet Access 

There’s no denying the power of reliable internet access for students and educators in today’s learning environment. As a school administrator, you can take steps to improve internet access for students on campus and at home to reduce the homework gap—here's how: 

1. Increase Your School’s Internet Speeds 

Ensuring fast, reliable internet speeds on-campus is the first step to helping students work more efficiently. Per the FCC’s recommended bandwidth, speeds should be 1 Gbps per 1,000 students and staff. If this is a significant cost increase for your school, the FCC offers the E-Rate program that provides internet discounts ranging from 20-90% based on need.

2. Conduct a Home Internet Survey 

Improving internet access within school walls is only half the battle. To ensure students have equal ability to complete homework assignments, it’s vital to understand their at-home internet access. Conduct a home internet survey at the beginning of each year or semester to confirm who does and does not have reliable internet.

Ask students whether they’re regularly able to complete online homework and if they ever have to use their phones or public internet to do assignments. You could even leave a portion for parents to complete about their internet speeds. Of course, conduct this survey on paper to ensure everyone can respond regardless of their home internet access. 

3. Provide Personal Hot Spots for Students

Once you’ve received your surveys back, log the results to determine who does and does not have adequate internet access to keep up with online assignments. Any students who cited unreliable internet access—such as slow speeds or relying on smartphones for 5G service—should be assigned hot spots alongside their 1:1 learning devices.  

How Asset Management Software Can Help Your School Provide Reliable Devices and Service

To continue providing fast, reliable internet for students, keeping all your technology in working order is essential. With effective school asset management software, you can track everything from student and staff devices to hot spots and network infrastructure. Here are a few specific ways an asset management solution can ensure continuous internet access for your students. 

• Seamless device and hot spot assignment: By managing all your technology in one centralized platform, you can easily assign Chromebooks and hot spots to specific students for enhanced accountability. This process becomes especially seamless when your chosen software has built-in barcode technology, allowing you to check out devices with a single scan.
  
• Proactive maintenance: With real-time visibility into your assets along with their full record history, you can proactively schedule maintenance or updates to reduce any downtime. From remotely updating the software on student iPads to scheduling a routine check of your network infrastructure, the right asset management platform saves you valuable time and resources all while helping avoid learning disruptions.
• Fast repair times: No matter how proactively you maintain your technology, things are bound to get damaged or broken. With a robust asset management system, teachers can easily create service tickets for themselves or their students. To ensure quick response times, you can create automated alerts to notify you in real time when a new ticket is created. 

Managing Student Internet Access with Asset Panda 

By providing students with internet access both on campus and at home, your school can level the playing field and close the homework gap. While improving speeds is a key part of ensuring reliable internet access, managing the physical technology that facilitates this internet access is just as important.  

Asset Panda’s comprehensive school asset management software can help you track everything from Chromebooks to routers to hot spots. Our multi-tenant solution allows you to create accounts for each of your campuses or departments under one umbrella instance for a truly centralized experience. Our cloud-based software is SOC 2-certified so you can be confident that your devices and network remain secure. 

Ready to streamline your device management and improve internet access for students? Request your Asset Panda demo today.