OSPI and EducationSuperHighway Partner for Student Connectivity
A partnership between OSPI and EducationSuperHighway work together to ensure students have access to robust, affordable Internet
OSPI is partnering with EducationSuperHighway (ESH) in an effort to get robust and affordable high-speed broadband for Washington students that do not have sufficient connectivity to support digital learning. ESH’s team of network experts is available to assist Washington schools at no cost through the upgrade process. OSPI will be working with ESH in the coming weeks to contact districts who may need assistance improving their broadband access or Wi-Fi network infrastructure.
EHS Annual Report
Each year, ESH shares an annual report on the state of broadband connectivity nationwide. This year’s 2017 State of the States report, released today, shows that there has been incredible progress in closing the K-12 connectivity gap in America, and that there is a clear path forward to ensure the remaining students without high-speed Internet can get the access they need.
Here are a few highlights from Washington state:
· 97% of school districts representing 992,358 students meet the minimum connectivity goal of 100 kbps per student.
· 99% of schools have the fiber connections they need to keep up with growing bandwidth demand from students and teachers.
· $53.5M of E-rate funding is left to support Wi-Fi network upgrades.
Beginning October 3, ESH is providing a series of free webinars to support digital learning initiatives, supply information for districts on their free tools, resources, and programs, and provide tips and best practices to help districts navigate the E-rate cycle.
See https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/webinars/ for more information or to sign up.
