Education technology

Facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources

FCC commits $46 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program

The Federal Communications Commission committed $46.3 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, which provides digital tools and services to support students in communities across the country. The funding supports applications from the third application window, benefitting approximately 125,000 students nationwide, including students in Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington. The funding will support approximately 250 schools and school districts, 13 libraries and library systems, and 2 consortia.

Reconsidering the E-Rate Program

E-Rate is the forgotten child of the universal service family. While commentators and Congress have spilled significant ink examining the government’s broadband build-out and affordability initiatives, E-Rate has been quietly subsidizing broadband service to schools and libraries for a quarter century. Promoting community connectivity and education is a worthwhile policy goal.

FCC Announces Over $29 Million in Emergency Connectivity Funding

The Federal Communications Commission committed nearly $29 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, which provides digital tools and services to support students in communities across the country. The commitment supports applications from the third application window, benefitting approximately 65,000 students nationwide, including students in California, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.

Tech majors are booming, but rural students stuck in the digital divide

Colleges are seeing a surge in technology majors, but rural students are lagging behind on opportunities to take advantage of the growing, high-paying fields. From 2018 to 2022, Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors increased 23 percent, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, from 423,315 to 518,844. Rural students, however, face two pressing issues: the digital divide of internet reliability and technology access and education opportunities. The National Center for Education Statistics said that in 2019, around 76 percent of rural students

FCC Announces Over $21 Million in Emergency Connectivity Funding for Schools and Libraries

The Federal Communications Commission committed over $21 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country.

Bringing Digital Equity to Appalachia

The Thompson Scholars Foundation is based in the Town Branch neighborhood of Manchester, Kentucky. We provide wraparound after-school academic enrichment to historically underserved populations in Clay County in the Appalachian region of southeast Kentucky, one of the areas in the United States hardest hit by poverty. Our work with disadvantaged students has also meant a focus on digital equity because bridging the digital divide is essential to our community’s future. Our programming promotes diversity and inclusion.

Federal Broadband Funding Report: These Agencies Are Funding Internet for All (Part II)

On May 8, 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth released its second annual report

A Discussion About the State of Universal Service

All people in the United States shall have access to rapid, efficient, nationwide communications service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.

Do Broadband Subsidies for Schools Improve Students’ Performance? Evidence from Florida.

Studies exploring the relationship between technology in the classroom and students’ outcomes have yielded mixed results. We contribute to the debate by examining the effects of broadband subsidies to schools on school performance measures in Florida. Specifically, using a nearly universal panel of Florida schools in the period 2016-2019, we assess the effect of federal broadband subsidies to schools via the E-Rate program on school grades.

How to adopt digital learning tools without killing your internet speed

If you’re not yet familiar with the term edtech, now might be a good time to learn about it. Edtech — educational technology — refers to the broad range of devices, apps, and internet-connected digital tools that schools use today as learning or teaching resources. Edtech has taken off in a big way.