Consortium for School Networking

This toolkit provides background context for the Homework Gap, addresses broader implications of household connectivity, suggests resources for scoping the problem, and details five strategies districts are currently using to address these challenges: 1) Partner with Community Organizations to Create “Homework Hotspots”, 2) Promote Low-Cost Broadband Offerings, 3) Deploy Mobile Hotspot Programs, 4) Install Wifi on School Buses and 5) Build Private LTE Networks. In addition, it outlines four steps school leaders can take to collaborate with local governments and their community to take a bro

CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) CEO Keith Krueger issued the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality plans:
 

The majority of school districts today (85 percent) fully meet the Federal Communications Commission’s short-term goal for broadband connectivity of 100 Mbps per 1,000 students. However, recurring costs remain the most significant barrier for schools in their efforts to increase connectivity. Collecting feedback from 445 large, small, urban and rural school district leaders nationwide, the fifth annual survey examines the current state of technology infrastructure in US K-12 districts. (The FCC has used past findings to modernize and expand funding of E-rate.)

The shift to mobile learning, student data privacy and budget constraints are top of mind for school district technology leaders. These are among the key findings CoSN revealed today from its . Conducted annually, the CoSN survey provides the education community with insights on how U.S. school system technology leaders are leveraging technology and the current challenges they face.

Key findings:

• Mobile learning is the top priority for IT leaders, ranked atop the list for the first time. The number two priority is “Broadband & Network Capacity.
• Cybersecurity and student data privacy continue to grow as major concerns with 62 percent of respondents rating them more important than last year.
• Budget constraints and lack of resources are ranked as the top challenges for the third straight year. More than half of school technology leaders said their IT budgets have stayed the same since last year and do not sufficiently meet current needs and demands.
• Understaffing remains a key issue for technology departments in school systems. More than 80 percent of IT leaders do not have enough staff to meet district needs. Nearly two-thirds of respondents indicated that their staff size has remained constant even in the face of increasing needs.
• Single-Sign-On (SSO) is the most implemented interoperability initiative with 60 percent of school technology leaders having partially or fully implemented SSO. Data interoperability, meanwhile, was the next most popular solution, with 73 percent of respondents indicating they were in planning or implementation stages.
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), more than one-third of IT leaders expressed “no interest” in such initiatives, up from 20 percent in 2014.
• Open Educational Resources (OER) interest is high, with nearly 80 percent of respondents indicating it was part of their district’s digital content strategy.
• Education technology experience is common among IT leaders – 73 percent have worked in the K-12 education technology field for more than 10 years.
• Strong academic backgrounds are also prevalent among IT leaders. Nearly 80 percent of IT leaders have some college beyond a bachelor’s degree and 61 percent of IT leaders hold a master’s degree.
• Lack of diversity continues to be an issue for school district technology leaders. Ninety percent of IT leaders identify as white, the same percentage as the prior year.

This new toolkit gives school leaders the guidance to ensure their digital learning resources are accessible to all students and parents. In giving school leaders the guidance they need, the toolkit:

Defines accessibility, including websites, materials, videos, digital textbooks and student or parent portals;
Shares why it is important today, including the opportunities and challenges to address this issue;
Explains how to procure accessible technology, including by informing web developers and publishers about accessibility needs;
Identifies the legal requirements, including accessibility guidance provided by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education; and
Describes the benefits of digital accessibility, including student learning and outcomes as well as the overall user experience.

School systems in the United States are making progress in increasing broadband connectivity and Wi-Fi in classrooms. However, significant hurdles remain before all students are able to experience a digitally-enabled learning environment. These are the findings revealed today in CoSN’s 2016 Annual E-rate and Infrastructure Survey, a report conducted in partnership with AASA, The School Superintendents Association, and MDR. Gathering insights from K-12 school administrators and technology directors nationwide, the report addresses key areas of concern for school districts, including affordability, network speed and capacity, reliability and competition, digital equity, security and cloud-based services.

Affordability: In 2016, 57 percent of school leaders identified the cost of ongoing recurring expenses as the biggest barrier to robust connectivity—up from 46 percent in 2015. The cost for monthly Internet connection showed significant improvement, with nearly one-half of respondents reporting low monthly costs (less than $5 per Mbps). This is a steady improvement from 36 percent in 2015 and 27 percent in 2014.

Digital Equity: Among the school leaders surveyed, 42 percent ranked addressing digital equity / lack of broadband access outside of school as a “very high priority." Nearly two-thirds of school system leaders, however, revealed that they do not have any strategies for providing off-campus connectivity to students. This is only a slight improvement over previous years.

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) released a report detailing the association’s senior delegation to Portugal last October (October 18-26, 2013). Titled “Reinventing Learning in Portugal: An Ecosystem Approach.”

The resource explores how the European country has transformed education and society through technology investments and provides delegates’ first-hand accounts and lessons learned throughout the weeklong trip. CoSN’s Portugal delegation continued the association’s long-term strategic efforts as a global leader in promoting a conversation around issues related to the successful use of ICT / technology in schools.

The report includes the key takeaways:

• Policies and strategies promoting ICT use in schools and at home are integrated into a larger economic and social vision for change in Portugal.
• Portugal adopted a comprehensive approach to transforming education by using ICT as a catalyst. This approach included hardware, software, teacher training, curriculum development and digital content in a holistic approach.
• The Portuguese thought in terms of an ecosystem.
• Public-private partnerships are foundational to this strategy and key to the success of the Portugal program, particularly for long-term sustainability.

For districts or school systems to build a mobile content strategy, the report outlines six steps that comprise both information and application content:

• Evaluate where your district is and with whom it works -- compile an inventory of existing systems, people, skills sets and content, as well as evaluate their mobile readiness.
• Prioritize what is most important -- what information should be made mobile and on which devices / app platforms.
• Act on tactical solutions for the short-term and plan for long-term mobility needs.
• Communicate the designed strategy to key stakeholders and actively promote the application.
• Monitor, measure and guide your mobile strategy using mobile analytics, surveys, audience profiles and usability testing.
• Support, maintain and adjust to changing needs, trends and technologies, including the frequency that content will require updates.