The coronavirus pandemic has placed schools across the United States in unprecedented circumstances. Thousands of schools are offering instruction exclusively online. Thousands more are operating with hybrid models that couple distance learning with time inside school buildings, an approach that likely will continue into 2021. Unfortunately, millions of children in the U.S. do not have access to the devices or connectivity necessary to participate fully in distance learning. Schools, school districts, and state education leaders have worked to meet students’ needs, but federal support for America’s students, especially in rural and historically disadvantaged communities, has fallen short.
