Marion County eLearning Network Pilot

School curriculum increasingly requires computer-based learning, which is why internet access is critically important to students in the 21st century. But research from 2019 found that many school facilities and students lacked access to broadband, and this longstanding “homework gap” widened further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, over 25% of students in Marion County did not have access to high-speed internet in April 2020, leaving many struggling to continue their education when Indianapolis schools shifted to remote learning. Now, as schools return to in-person instruction, the need to close the homework gap remains a priority, especially as some form of digital instruction will remain the new normal.

To that end, Marion County leaders launched the Marion County Dedicated eLearning Network Pilot, IndyNet, to ensure K-12 and higher education students from low-income households can access the internet and learn to their full potential.