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Benjamin Herold of Education Week has put together a real cracker of a series on the challenges of ensuring school broadbandaccess in rural communities – and how E-rate (pre- and post-modernization) is helping to address the situation. We should demand more of our political leaders and from our education advocacy organizations.
“Universal connectivity is more than just internet access–it’s about addressing the digital divide to ensure every student is prepared for post-secondary success,” said Julia Fallon, executive director at SETDA. ” The report provides specific policy recommendations to close the digital divide in education.
The committee that wrote the report emphasized that rural areas already have many STEM learning opportunities and resources that urban areas may lack, such as access to natural spaces. Recent legislation has led to large investments in broadband connectivity across the U.S.,
In July, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the use of E-rate funds to loan Wi-Fi hotspots that support students, school staff, and library patrons without internet access. The federal E-rate program provides discounts to help schools and libraries obtain affordable telecommunications and internet access.
Access to affordable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity to thrive in the modern world. An estimated 23% of households that make up the broadband affordability gap are MDU residents. An estimated 23% of households that make up the broadband affordability gap are MDU residents.
As online schooling plays an increasingly large role in education, researchers say more work needs to be done to understand and address why some families have a harder time accessing the internet. The policy, known as redlining, fueled racial segregation and long-term disinvestment in Black communities. “It’s
State leadership can have a powerful impact on broadband best practices in K-12 schools–and a new report highlights success stories and strong policies supporting broadband connectivity. ” Key elements in broadband best practices. ” Key elements in broadband best practices.
The top problems they identified were decreased student enrollment at colleges and insufficient access to and understanding of digital technology among students and instructors. After all, remote learning that relies on video calls and emails doesn’t work well for students who don’t have internet access. she asked. “If
K-12 students lacked access to a working device, reliable high-speed internet or both. In the months that followed, many states and school districts mobilized, using federal CARES Act funding, broadband discounts and partnerships with private companies to connect their students and enable online learning. Money is an issue.
Broadband — high-speed internet — is critical for learning. Without it, students can struggle to turn in or even access school assignments. And the pandemic focused attention on inequitable access to broadband services in education. In rural tribal areas, about 30 percent of people were unable to accessbroadband.
Even after service providers launched discounts for broadband services during the pandemic — often targeting online learning — Black Americans across the South saw little change in their access to broadband services. But nowhere is the digital divide larger than in the Black rural South. Add the bill’s $14.25
I give the kids access to all the tools pretty much right off the bat,” said Eric Bredder, with a sweeping gesture taking in the computer workstations, 3-D printers, laser cutters and milling machines, plus a bevy of wood and metalworking tools that he uses while teaching computer science, engineering and design classes. “I
We also know that schools that can afford these types of initiatives, and which have the policy frameworks and supporting networks in place to enable seamless tech integration are few and far between. Audit your student’s access: Draw up a short survey, (try the one on page 11 of this study ) that your students fill in.
Key points: Schools must ensure greater access to the tech tools students and teachers need The digital divide still holds students back DEI in action: eSN Innovation Roundtable For more news on classroom equity, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub Believing that all students have the same access to technology is a mistake.
The plan separates technological divides — barriers that block some students from full participation — into access, design and use. Ultimately, some hope this plan will move the conversation beyond what access students have to tech and toward discussion about how effective that tech actually is in learning.
We are thankful for those who broadcast the news and the broadband providers that have opened their networks, lifted data caps and fees, and promised not to discontinue service. Broadband providers are facing unprecedented pressure to deliver reliable connectivity as more of our economy shifts online. These are positive things.
Digital learning not only plays a crucial role in preparing today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow, it also has an important role in providing equity and access to education, especially in smaller and remote school districts. Broadband’s Big Picture. Links to Local Learning. WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING.
Today we launch right in with a topic that is on the minds and hearts of many teachers – the “digital divide”; that silent, pernicious socioeconomic gap between students that have and students that do not have access to technology. Now, however, access to technology is becoming a rights issue. Digital divide: facts and figures.
Access to high-speed internet is necessary for participating in today’s digital economy. Yet millions of residents in multi-dwelling units nationwide lack reliable connectivity, which hinders their ability to work, learn, and access essential services. States Leading the Way in MDU Connectivity Across the U.S.,
As America’s classrooms become increasingly connected, the nation inches ever closer to reaching a major milestone: 100 percent of schools with high-speed internet access, defined as at least 100 kbps (or 100 thousand bits per second) per student. students with access to at least 100 kbps of broadband has increased from 4 million to 44.7
To evolve our education system and improve student outcomes for good, we need to reevaluate our policy-making decisions from the last 50-plus years—not just the last 18 months—while also looking forward to what students need to learn to be successful in the future. Why on Earth should we go back to pre-COVID education policies and systems?
Advocating for changes that would uproot the foundation of long-standing institutions, policies and practices can quickly begin to feel like an uphill battle, no matter how many educators are working for the cause. students still lack the broadband capability necessary for digital learning. Want to learn more?
Commit to Ensuring Equity in Access and Opportunity. Equity in access, from broadband to devices is a concern and something that districts need to work to meet head on. “ Equity in access, from broadband to devices is a concern and something that districts need to work to meet head on. “
Building out the infrastructure to support high-speed Internet access requires multi-layered collaboration between state and district leaders, school administrators, and service providers. students equal access to a robust, modern education, regardless of their socioeconomic background. Having high-speed Internet is about offering.
Be explicit with districts about expectations for access to technology in schools and classrooms. It should not be controversial in 2016 that there is a baseline expectation of access to technology in schools, just as there are baseline expectations for access to textbooks and desks.
For decades schools have been, rightly, accused of too often letting a toxic mix of low expectations and strict discipline policies put kids, mostly Black, Hispanic and Latino young men, on the school-to-prison pipeline. However, thoughtful support will mean nothing if we don’t increase access to programs.
Tailwinds: An Enabling Ecosystem A baseline enabling condition for game-based learning is access to computers and broadband. COVID has also accelerated funding for broadband in underserved neighborhoods. The novel also examines the issue of equity, exploring who has access to such a powerful learning platform.
In Albemarle County, Virginia, where school officials estimate up to 20 percent of students lack home broadband, radio towers rise above an apple orchard on Carters Mountain, outside Charlottesville. What they don’t have is legal access to spectrum to carry the signal. Photo: Chris Berdik.
billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan in April 2021 to enable school districts and libraries to provide internet access and connected devices to students and educators during the pandemic. million broadband connections, according to the FCC. Online access for families has also helped the district engage parents. “I
Broadband affordability is the number one barrier to universal connectivity and has become a national priority. Despite ongoing efforts, the affordability gapwhere households have access to the internet but cant afford to connectpersists for 16.3 million American households. Compudopt seeks to establish a $1.5
Access to affordable and reliable internet has become an essential utility, yet millions of affordable housing residents remain unconnected. Statewide Initiatives Driving Digital Equity Massachusetts is enhancing internet access through the Apartment Wi-Fi and Residential Retrofit programs, which aim to promote long-term digital equity.
In the quest for universal broadband service, state broadband offices have a critical role to play, especially in administering funds through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Established by the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA), the $42.5 BEAD NOFO, Section I.B.1)
One of the largest concerns, though, is equity — not just how we must fund solutions to address disparities in student access to digital devices and broadband Internet, but how students safely engage to drive learning. But access alone wasn’t enough. But access and vetting were only part of the equation.
If the workday of an adult typically requires seamless broadbandaccess, then it’s reasonable that today’s students need the same access during their school day. The key is the state leadership to make broadbandaccessible to all. Schools feel free to approach CEN when they need more bandwidth.
Most of these households, he said, “have infrastructure available at their home but they just can’t afford to sign up for a broadband service.” Only a third of those without broadbandaccess blame a lack of infrastructure; the remaining two thirds without access say they can’t afford it, Marwell said.
In an increasingly digital world, affordable internet is essential for students to participate in online learning, for job seekers to search for employment opportunities, and for individuals to access telehealth services and government resources. This included establishing the nation’s first-ever federal broadband benefit – the $14.2
A federal report on students’ home access to digital learning resources is months late, and ed-tech groups say the delay is impeding efforts to close the homework gap. ” Next page: Why low-income students could be even more at risk for losing internet access. . “This is critical.” “This is critical.”
trillion infrastructure bill into law, our nation is poised to make historic investments in its highways, public transit, railways, airports, ports, water systems, broadband networks and electric grid. With President Biden’s signature turning the $1.2 A key reason? There is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Despite the influx of capital, employers, schools and policymakers are only just beginning to harness the sector’s advancements in the delivery, accessibility and effectiveness of education technology. Since 2017, investment has accelerated with $14 billion allocated, according to research firm HolonIQ. hours on social media.
While remote learning may be ending in most places across the country, many students will continue to struggle to complete many lessons and assignments because they lack adequate internet service and access to devices at home — a phenomenon commonly referred to as the “homework gap.”. There are some positive findings in the survey.
Broadband : 85% of respondents took steps last year to improve home broadband and device access for students, with 71% continuing prior efforts and 14% launching new efforts during the 2023-24 school year. 92% of respondents in 2024 reported increased interest compared to 54% in 2023.
Unequal internet access is just the tip of the iceberg of a massive equity crisis facing U.S. According to the latest survey data from the Pew Research Center, 73 percent of adults have broadband internet at home. About 17 percent of adults access the internet from home through a smartphone only.
This month, Maine became one of the first states to share their draft Broadband Action Plans and companion Digital Equity Plan as part of the $42.45 Their strategies and initiatives are organized into four categories 1) access and adoption, 2) innovation and investment, 3) digital literacy and skills, and 4) accountability and transparency.
Our extensive work at MCJ culminated in a report that showcased an unsettling reality: Affordability and availability are formidable barriers to internet access, while reading and math proficiency rates are significantly below the state averages in grades 3-8. A significant challenge for Delta communities is the ever-growing digital divide.
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