broadband-access

Georgia district extends free broadband to Title I schools


Partnership with Kajeet Education enables district’s mobile broadband expansion

broadband-accessThrough a partnership with wireless service provider Kajeet, Georgia’s Fayette County Schools are offering mobile broadband coverage to students in the district’s Title I schools.

Partnering with 47 districts in 20 states, Kajeet is keeping students connected to online textbooks, apps, emails, documents and websites, as well as their teachers, with its Kajeet SmartSpot solution to ensure that students have a level playing field for academic success.

“The pen and paper days are gone in school, but when kids needed paper and pencil, we provided the materials,” said Clarice Howard, Title I Coordinator for Fayette County Schools. “Today all students need access to computing devices. Through Title I funds, our district provided devices for those who couldn’t afford them, and, with the need to extend the learning day, it’s our responsibility to level the playing field for these children by providing equipment for connectivity after school.”

(Next page: How Kajeet’s SmartSpot extends broadband access for students)

On average, one-third of American public school students–approximately 16 million children–do not have broadband at home. As learning goes digital and states mandate online testing, teachers and principals are faced with the growing problem of disconnected, and disadvantaged, students who are being left behind because of having no internet access at home.

Fayette County is a bring-your-own-device district, but it has students who cannot afford their own technology. Working with Title I parent liaisons within the elementary and middle schools, those families are identified and provided school-loaned equipment, and now, filtered mobile broadband to ensure every child has what they need, Howard said.

“Title I is all about equity and access in education for disadvantaged students,” said Bob Harmon, CEO for the National Title I Association. “Digital equity is a critical area of need in today’s world. Congratulations to Fayette County Schools in Georgia for moving forward in a big way!”

“Broadband connectivity is now necessary for children to function, let alone succeed, in school,” said Kajeet CEO and Founder Daniel Neal. “We applaud districts like Fayette County for identifying those students who need connectivity and bridging the disparity between the ‘broadband haves’ and the ‘broadband have-nots’.”

To ensure secure connectivity outside of the classroom and not just at home, schools issue the Kajeet SmartSpot solution, a portable MiFi mobile hotspot combined with the innovative Kajeet Sentinel® cloud portal, providing customizable filtered internet access to keep students focused on school work and provide educational connectivity.

The Kajeet mobile broadband solution allows districts and schools to fully customize and filter the websites students can visit, as well as the times of day or night appropriate for student use. Teachers and administrators can manage access hours and filter out non-educational content. This keeps students on-task and controls costs. As part of the Kajeet solution, teachers and administrators receive reports with learning analytics to help improve student achievement.

To help strengthen the relationship between the District Title I and education technology leaders, Kajeet, in partnership with Consortium for School Networking and the National Title I Association, released a toolkit titled: “Rethinking Educational Equity in a Digital Era: Forging a Strong Partnership between District Title I and Technology Leaders.”

Material from a press release was used in this report.

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