CoSN Calls Broadband Access Outside School a 'Civil Right' for Students

Education leaders are beginning to look beyond the struggle of connecting all schools to high quality Internet, and toward the next challenge of connecting all students while outside of school.

The Consortium for School Networking, or CoSN, issued a plan of action this week that aims to prod district leaders to at least gather data on personal student broadband access. The report, which calls the matter an issue of "civil rights," indicated that 75 percent of school district leaders have no data on their students' Internet access outside of school, while 70 percent of teachers nationally report assigning homework that requires access. The report goes on to outline steps districts can take to leverage existing assets and programs to increase off-campus connectivity. Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN, said that in the wake of a collective national shift over recent decades to online learning as "the way we do education," now is the critical moment "to get serious about ubiquitous access." "It's like sending some kids home without a textbook," said Laura Hansen, director of information management at Metro Nashville Public Schools, illustrating how Internet equity can exacerbate achievement gaps.