This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Benjamin Herold of Education Week has put together a real cracker of a series on the challenges of ensuring school broadband access in rural communities – and how E-rate (pre- and post-modernization) is helping to address the situation.
One of those programs is the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries, better known as E-rate. E-rate helps schools and libraries get affordable Internet access by discounting the cost of service based on the school’s location – urban or rural – and the percentage of low-income students served.
million students who lack internet access, the nonprofit is also looking ahead to the future, when 1 Mbps per student becomes the new broadband benchmark. Since 2013, the number of U.S. students with access to at least 100 kbps of broadband has increased from 4 million to 44.7 The good news, Marwell said, is that 1.9
Instead, EducationSuperHighway is sunsetting because, well, that’s what Marwell always intended it to do—once the organization reached its expressed goal of connecting 99 percent of K-12 students to high-speed broadband. The median cost of internet access has gone down dramatically as well, from $22 per Mbps in 2013 to $3.26
And with online assessments now being required in many states, reliable broadband access is also essential so that students’ knowledge and skills are accurately represented, and technology is not a barrier to achievement and its documentation. Accessing the E-Rate and Matching State Funds. Sheryl Abshire, Ph.D.,
In the effort to ensure that all students have equal access to the broadband they need for digital learning, there are challenges and triumphs every year. The FCC Announced Rural Broadband Month. For the first time, the FCC designated August as Rural Broadband Month. showed that commitment through their broadband initiatives.
million more compared to 2013. E-Rate , an FCC program that provides funding to help schools and libraries build fiber infrastructure and expand their wi-fi and broadband networks. With more E-Rate data comes a more detailed picture for the state of internet connectivity. EducationSuperHighway.
If the workday of an adult typically requires seamless broadband access, then it’s reasonable that today’s students need the same access during their school day. The key is the state leadership to make broadband accessible to all. There are no cap limits, no throttle rates, and no chastising schools when they need extra bandwidth.
In 2013, our SchoolSpeedTest analysis of K-12 broadband purchasing revealed only 30 percent of school districts nationwide met the Federal Communications Commission’s minimum Internet access goal of 100 kbps per student, leaving 40 million students without the broadband needed for digital learning. with access to fiber.
In Alaska, where we recently announced a partnership with Governor Bill Walker to address statewide school connectivity, the challenges that rural Alaska communities typically face in getting scalable broadband infrastructure are especially acute. How Have Other Communities Secured Broadband Access?
These rural districts face the four significant challenges: broadband access, funding, people, and understanding the “why.” Broadband access has become more critical in the last year and a half than ever before. Challenges. Wherever the location, funding is always a challenge for educational leaders.
EducationSuperHighway today released its annual State of the States report highlighting the major progress that has been achieved to connect nearly every public school classroom to high-speed broadband. Since 2013, 49 governors have led the effort that has connected an estimated 40.7 billion in E-rate funds set to expire in 2019.
Back in late 2013, Barack Obama and the White House launched the ConnectED Initiative , an effort to bring almost $2 billion worth of high-quality broadband, technology and professional development to schools and districts across the U.S. In February of 2014, Obama rounded up technology donations worth more than a $1 billion from U.S.
Since 2013, the number of states with 99% of students connected has swelled from four to 20. More highlights from this year’s report: The number of students with access to the broadband they need for digital learning grew from 4 million in 2013 to 44.7 billion in E-rate funds set to expire in 2019. million today.
High-speed broadband that can support digital learning requires a combination of scalable fiber-optic connections, sufficient and affordable bandwidth, and robust internal networks that can deliver information onto student devices in the classroom. NAVIGATE E-RATE. Advice on E-rate program timeline and milestones.
Students now interview authors across the country via Skype and access books that match their interests and reading levels on e-readers. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of teachers surveyed by Pew reported using mobile phones in the classroom or to complete assignments, while almost half (45%) reported using e-readers and tablet computers.
In 2008, the high school graduation rate at Winterboro High School was 63 percent. Although there are many other factors that could have improved that graduation rate, the engagement that technology can foster—if done well—likely had an impact. What do we make of this 18th birthday of the E-Rate program?
In its recent 2014 Measuring Broadband America Fixed Broadband Report , the FCC stated that, “the launch of a new generation of Ka band satellites represents an important advance in consumer-based satellite service which will benefit those consumers under-served by terrestrial alternatives.” The reason comes down to economics.
. Nearly nine out of 10 school districts meet the federal government’s minimum standard for internet connectivity – a significant increase from 2013, when only 30 percent met that level, according to a report released Tuesday by a California-based nonprofit organization. Sign up for our Blended Learning newsletter. Absolutely.
Efforts by the national nonprofit EducationSuperHighway to publicize how much districts pay for broadband have allowed many school systems to negotiate bandwidth deals to get greater capacity for a fraction of the cost. And EducationSuperHighway brought pricing transparency to school district broadband purchasing.
This is up from just 4 million students in 2013. In 2013, our nation made an important promise to close the connectivity gap and level the playing field for children throughout the U.S. billion-per-year E-rate program resources to fulfill this promise. Our Nation’s Promise to K-12 Students. But there are still 6.5
Students now interview authors across the country via Skype and access books that match their interests and reading levels on e-readers. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of teachers surveyed by Pew reported using mobile phones in the classroom or to complete assignments, while almost half (45%) reported using e-readers and tablet computers.
Wanted: A joint effort among districts, vendors and government When concerns about lack of broadband threatened to choke the expansion of educational technology, the Obama administration launched the Connect Ed initiative in 2013 and expanded the E-rate program that has enabled thousands of school districts to upgrade their networks.
In 2008, the high school graduation rate at Winterboro High School was 63 percent. Although there are many other factors that could have improved that graduation rate, the engagement that technology can foster—if done well—likely had an impact. What do we make of this 18th birthday of the E-Rate program?
First, learn how to discover new tools rated for learning, mapped to Common Core, and see how other teachers are using them. 1) Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum: A free, research-based K-12 curriculum, aligned to NETS-S and CCSS, is offered in a format for low-tech classrooms, or in e-book format for blended classrooms.
Via Education Week : “ Trump Signs Orders on Rural Broadband Access.” ” Via Inside Higher Ed : “A Pennsylvania judge has banned fraternity Pi Delta Psi from the state for a decade, a punishment for a hazing death in 2013, and an unprecedented step likely to rock the national Greek system.”
Wheeler had been a “champion” of net neutrality and E-rate reform, according to Education Week at least, but his replacement, Trump appointee Ajit Pai, seems poised to lead the agency with a very different set of priorities – and those priorities will likely shape in turn what happens to ed-tech under Trump. .”
E-Rate has been, since the origin of the fund in 1996, the main way in which schools and libraries were supposedly guaranteed “reasonable rates” on telecommunications services. million in E-Rate rebates.). Bandwidth is necessary, and schools still struggle to provide it, particularly in rural areas.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 34,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content