What do we mean by access to learning?

Access to learning is defined as having the means to show up for instruction, whether it is in person or virtual. It’s important to remember that not all families and students have the same ability to show up. Barriers, including unreliable or unsafe transportation to school or a lack of or unreliable internet, make it challenging for some students to get to participate in school every day.

Why does it matter to attendance?

When families and students have dependable transportation or a safe path to the school building they are more likely to show up regularly. Regardless of the mode of instruction (online, hybrid or virtual), when students have reliable home internet/broadband access and laptops or devices – that they or their families/caregivers know how to use – they can participate regularly in school. Research released weeks before the start of the pandemic shows that students with low levels of broadband access or who were dependent on a cell phone alone did not perform as well in school and were less likely to attend college.

What is the evidence that having access to learning experiences improves attendance?

• Transportation: Studies show that providing transportation and ensuring safe walks to school can improve attendance.
  • One study showed school buses reduced chronic absence, particularly for economically disadvantaged students.
  • A national study found that kindergartners who rode the school bus had fewer absences and were less likely to be chronically absent than their peers who used other modes of transportation.
  • The evidence is mixed on transit passes with one study showing reduced absences for Minneapolis students receiving free passes while another effort in San Francisco increased bus usage but had no effect on attendance.
  • An evaluation of Chicago’s Safe Passages program found that placing civilian guards along specified routes reduced crime and improved student attendance.
  • While many communities have adopted the Walking School Bus strategy and some such as Springfield, MA have seen attendance gains, there is no formal research study showing its effects on absenteeism yet.
• Digital access: While much has been written about the digital access divide as a barrier to learning, we were unable to find research that shows a direct connection between providing internet/broadband, laptops or devices and student attendance. It is unclear if removing these technology barriers is sufficient for increasing attendance. Factors such as students having the self-regulatory skills to work online, caregiver support for younger students or a quiet space to work may affect engagement and learning. As the emphasis on technology in schools grows research is needed to examine the connection to attendance.

Should access to learning be a major route to reducing chronic absence in your state?

In order to determine whether increasing access to learning is a major strategy for reducing chronic absence in your state, consider these questions:

• What does data tell you about how many and which students have transportation and digital access to learning in your state?
  • Transportation: Within each state, the transportation challenges vary, with very different challenges in rural versus suburban or urban settings. At the same time, with more students attending schools that are located far from home, school transportation resources and policies have not kept pace with the needs of students. For example, shortages of school bus drivers or cutbacks on transit routes are barriers to in-person attendance, particularly for students in low-income communities who are reliant on school buses.
  • Does your state or districts in your state collect data on how students get to school? Questions to investigate include what is the percentage of students who are served by buses versus public transportation? For example, the Maryland State Department of Education Office of Pupil Transportation and Emergency Management has compiled student transportation data in the FY 2024 End-of-Year Pupil Transportation Report.
  • How much of the funding for public transit or yellow school buses is provided by your state? Is there independent research in your state examining school transportation funding adequacy or equity?
  • Digital Access: Does your state or districts in your state collect data on reliable home internet/broadband access and laptops or devices? Questions to ask include, what percentage of students in your state have access to devices and internet/broadband at school or at home? Does your state publish annual data on digital access and if so, what does it reveal about regional variations?
  • In response to the Digital Equity Act of 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau released its Digital Equity Act Population Viewer, an interactive map that shows broadband availability and use alongside demographics in every state. (Users must create an account.)
  • The New York State Department of Education has an updated data picture of the digital access for students. To what extent do districts and schools in your state intentionally use transportation strategies, or programs that improve student and family access to internet/broadband services as a means to improve access to education for all students
• What assets can your state build upon? Who are the champions (agencies, organizations, individuals) who could advance access to learning at the state or local levels? Are there key state or local policymakers, school leaders, philanthropists, celebrities or others who recognize the importance of access to learning and are willing to advocate for strategic investments
  • Transportation: For example, does your state have a chapter of the National School Transportation Association that operates the yellow school buses or local transit authorities
  • Are there coalitions focused on safe routes to school? Safe Routes to School is a movement that aims to make it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school. These programs can be run by states, regions or local organizations and many are volunteer efforts. How well is your state doing in creating safe routes to school? The Safe Routes to School Partnership website offers resources, tips and success stories. The city of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program has a guide for starting a bike bus to school, where students bike to and from school with an adult volunteer.
  • Digital access: Is there a push for increasing broadband in the larger community as well as schools? The non-profit Bellwether examines six key issues related to student transportation: the regulatory landscape, funding, school choice, data use, transportation safety and environmental impact, in The Challenges and Opportunities in School Transportation Today.
  • What funding could be leveraged to improve student and family access to learning? Consider tapping into federal, state and even local funds to support transportation and internet/broadband programs to ensure students have access to learning opportunities.
  • Transportation: For example, Splitting the Bill, a brief from Bellwether describes available federal transportation funds and examples of common funding methods for transportation services.
  • Digital Access: States and districts can look into using Title I Part A, Title II Part A, Title III Part A and Title IV Part A to increase digital access. In a series of briefs, The Center for American Progress describes how states can use the federal funds, and offers policy recommendations for state and district leaders to enhance the use of technology in K-12 public schools.
  • The federal The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B and Part D can be used to support students with disabilities to enhance learning through technology for students with disabilities.

Are there bright spot schools or exemplary programs that demonstrate effective approaches to ensuring access to learning for all students?

• Transportation: Investigate if there are districts using alternative transportation solutions such as vanpools, vetted car services, bike lanes or walking school buses that provide safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation options. See these local examples of walking school buses. Track efforts to leverage technology to increase efficiency of routes.
• Digital access: States can develop contingency plans to keep students learning during school closures such as major weather events, natural disasters or utility interruptions, etc. For example, South Carolina’s Department of Education released guidance on what an e-learning day should look like and more in the eLearning Days District Handbook.
• States can identify and share with districts promising or best practices for online or e-learning. Promising Practices Brief, by researchers at AIR and Insight Policy Research, provides states and districts with insight into promising practices and lessons learned by several districts during school closures.
• Are there districts in your state that have successfully created and maintained access to one-to-one device programs (1:1 technology)? A survey by the Education Week Research Center provides insights of district use of 1:1 technology and the challenges this change is creating for schools.

How do your state policies support access to learning?

Are there reinforcing policies to ensure students have a safe and reliable way to get to school?

• Transportation: Federal law requires transportation for specific student populations such as students with disabilities or students who qualify for transportation assistance under the McKinney-Vento (MKV) Homeless Assistance Act.
• States can provide funding to help districts defray transportation costs. For example, Massachusetts has a line item for transportation to help defray costs to districts; Maine has a state pilot that allows flexible use of funds for MKV students that includes transportation assistance (car repair, gas cards, etc.); Minnesota has a weighted transportation formula; WA homeless stability program.

Are there reinforcing policies designed to provide reliable access to the internet and a device for all students in your state?

• Digital access: States can use public funds to match private investment and federal grants to enable broadband deployment in areas that cannot attract sufficient private investment. For example, states such as Minnesota, Maryland, and Alabama have offered financial incentives and accurate data to the private sector to encourage collaboration with local communities in addressing broadband deficits. Learn more in Putting State Broadband Funds to Work: Best Practices In State Rural Broadband Grant Programs from Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
• The Pew Charitable Trust has a series of articles exploring differences and trends in state broadband policy. Read How Do State Policies Shape Broadband Access?

Are there counterproductive policies that should be eliminated because they create transportation barriers to learning?

• For example, are districts changing busing policies based solely upon distance from school and without consideration for students’ need for transportation?

Are there counterproductive policies that should be eliminated because they support barriers to digital access for all students or specific groups of students?