Remote Learning

The novel Corona Virus created uncharted territory in regards to schooling, giving way to remote learning. The MissionSquare Research Institute is an organization that does extensive, non-partisan research to help public and governmental organizations run efficiently. In May 2021, MissionSquare Research Institute conducted an online survey asking teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade about their perspective on remote learning and its impact on students. As is demonstrated through these statistics, learning remotely has not been an easy transition for most students. An especially significant issue faced by many students is the lack of any access to the internet. In addition, many students don’t have access to the technology required in order to learn remotely. Oftentimes, this puts students of lower socioeconomic levels at an extreme disadvantage, causing students to fall far behind in their coursework.

Remote learning posed a unique challenge to millions of families across the United States. One community that decided to take action when its members were struggling was South Bend, Indiana. Beginning in March 2020, an initiative was launched in South Bend that helped give students access to the internet, so they could attend their remote classes. The city deployed 20 buses with Wifi to over 30 sites throughout the city. This map shows small navy circles with a Wifi icon, symbolizing locations where these vans were located. The buses provided internet access to all locations within a 300-foot radius of the bus and were parked in central locations that had benches from which students could work. This initiative is such an incredible manifestation of how a city can help its people. As a South Bend school official said, “… we are doing our best to serve our community.”