1. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Broadband
- Author
-
Hart, Michael
- Abstract
Although the perception of many is that internet access is now nearly ubiquitous, the reality, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is that somewhere around 30 percent of American homes still do not have it. The NTIA also reports that, while 80 percent of the households in which family income is more than 185 percent above the official poverty line have internet access, less than 50 percent of households below 135 percent of the poverty level have the same access. Despite an economic recession that has made millions of more students eligible for free and reduced lunches and forced thousands of school districts to rethink their long-term funding priorities, technology directors and superintendents are finding work-arounds to the access dilemma. Some are learning ways to make sure terms like "anytime-anywhere" learning, which are tossed around so freely today, apply to every student, regardless of their families' economic status or where in their communities their homes are. The author describes how districts with large numbers of underserved students are finding ways to make sure all kids have the 24/7 internet access they need at home.
- Published
- 2012