Many school districts across the country, as well as educators and parents, are getting an unexpected crash course in e-learning because of closures meant to help quash the spread of COVID-19. But when some normalcy is restored and opportunities arise again for more deliberate implementation of remote learning, what tools can help make the experience a success?

“Many students don’t even have laptops and monitors, and so if you have to basically enable virtual learning, all of the students need to have laptops and monitors,” says Aruna Ravichandran, chief marketing officer for Cisco Webex.

The surge in e-learning for K–12 schools has also put a stronger spotlight on persistent issues of equity. In recently released guidance on e-learning, the Consortium for School Networking notes this critical question: “Does the district have an adequate supply of devices to support delivering online learning to students?”

Many families lack computing devices and internet access. Families with multiple school-age children may have only one device for them to use for e-learning.

In New Jersey’s Camden City School District, only 30 percent of families have internet access and electronic devices for students, Superintendent Katrina McCombs told The Philadelphia Inquirer. The shutdown “has just exacerbated the inequalities,” she told the newspaper.

In Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools closed on March 17 and aren’t slated to reopen until at least April 27, according to The Boston Globe. It’s estimated that between 8,000 to 10,000 of the district’s students lack the technology needed to have regular access to a computer, internet or both, the newspaper reported.