The additional money resulting from the federal government during the pandemic left new-mexic districts with a problem.
The pandemic stimulated internet access for students. This is partly because school districts bought aircraft with emergency money. These days, around 285,000 students in the state have a device issued by the school, explains John Chadwick, coordinator of digital actions of the New Mexico Department of Education.
Nevertheless, there are still “connectivity deserts” – areas where internet access is limited – in particular in tribal and rural lands. In total, around 8% of students from kindergarten to the 12th year in New Mexico still lacks devices, says Chadwick.
But for the moment, it is important to avoid losing progress.
The devices acquired by schools must be replaced every three to five years, and the main federal financing programs have expired. Eager to keep digital gains, Chadwick has repeatedly approached the state’s legislature on the problem of “refreshing the device”. But he meets slowders. For example, trying to provide precise figures for the legislature on the amount of money that will be difficult because they do not have easy access to this data.
So Chadwick finds himself exploring imaginative options. For example, he tries to persuade schools to rent rather than having devices – based on a creative interpretation of An ancient status of the 1990s – Because he thinks it will reduce the costs and open the state budget. The districts tell Chadwick that the cost of the property stems from having to install software in tens of thousands of devices. Renting a device may mean that the devices are delivered with software already installed and configured and it could also create refreshments in school budgets, explains Chadwick.
Even if the new-mexic solution is unique, its fate is common across the country.
The federal government calculates that 92% of school districts Used federal rescue money to buy Edtech, including devices and other expenses related to digital access such as software. This has increased the number of students capable of accessing the Internet for learning, a rare advantage resulting from the pandemic.
But with the funding of the federal pandemic, it is not clear if these online gains can be maintained. In addition, there are disturbing signs: according to a recent study, few states even have plans to help districts prevent digital access from disappearing. In addition, a reclining administration to reshape the federal government could decelerate or reverse progress.
Tighten the handbag strings
According to JI SOO, the Director of projects and initiatives of the SOO Song State, Director of projects and initiatives of the Organization of Administration of Technology Director Association, an organization of adhesion to the education of projects and initiatives of the State for project managers and initiatives for state education, it is.
When schools were forced to learn from a distance, internet access was considered a necessity.
At the time, the districts were able to use federal dollars to plead in the event of state legislators to show that they need more investment in areas such as devices for students from kindergarten to 12th year, according to Song. This has led more students to access the Internet for learning, home and schools. From broadband to devices to skills through technical support and the inclusiveness of digital tools and platforms, the country has made significant progress, says Song.
But now the main federal programs that have financed these investments have expired. Last year, the Emergency Connectivity Fund – a program of several billion dollars intended to help schools go to distance learning during the pandemic – homologous. The same goes for the affordable connectivity program, a widely used program that has provided the Internet at a reduced price for families at home, and Esser, a booster of federal rescue funds that many schools have spent to improve digital access.
In addition to endangering digital access, the end of federal funding was poorly timed, says Song.
Many schools are already attached to income, explains Weadé James, political director of kindergarten in the 12th year for the Center for American Progress. Many districts are experiencing budgetary deficits, leading to teachers’ layoffs and even school closures. The financing hole has been exacerbated because many schools have not adjusted their hiring or their salary increase to take into account less funds after the pandemic height, adds James.
There is a reason to think that the new reality settles.
The districts told Edsurge that the disappearance of these funds had brought them to “Ruthlessly reassess » done during the pandemic.
But observers say that the country needs a solid plan, both at the levels of the state and the federal levels, to make sure it does not slip back.
For the moment, the vast majority of states are not prepared. In fact, only 27% of states have plans in place to maintain K-12 technology, according to Recent research of the State Educational Technology Directors Association. The report, known as the imperative of universal connectivity, draws the pressure for universal access to the Internet for students both in school and outside.
Federal plans to close digital divisions and to ensure that all students can participate in education have focused on three categories: design, access and use of technology. Although gains have been made, there are still problems accessing technology. A few research has found racial gaps in which can access high speed broadband at home, and also in the types of devices that students could use. In addition, the end of the affordable connectivity program, in particular, threatens to tear internet access of 3 million households, forcing an additional 8.3 million to a downside to slower plans, revealed the Connectivity Universal Report. In addition, although the majority of students get it, few families receive aid for learning digital skills, according to the report.
The report recommends a certain number of policies, including the revival federal legislation To remove the financing of digital action programs and for state legislators to collect and use data on students access to technology.
Song hopes that states will be able to learn from each other, which is why the report highlights examples of the way some manage the transition.
Under the spotlight
Connecticut is one of the states highlighted in the report.
In Connecticut, districts have the advantage of an active state infrastructure. The state has experienced a constant increase in programs where schools put the devices in the hands of students even before the pandemic, explains Doug Casey, executive director of the Connecticut Commission for educational technologies. However, Esser funds were useful for the last obstacle: to make sure that almost all students had devices. This is important: you can have a large wide-band connection outside the school, but without a dedicated device, it does not do much, says Casey.
The State’s digital action program is directed by a dedicated commission focused on online learning, the educational technology committee, which examines policies and programs in schools. Almost all of the state intermediate and secondary schools are still investing in devices programs, says Casey, pointing to Commission data.
But funding is always a problem.
With disappeared federal funding, the Commission encouraged schools to budget in a creative manner. This means launching a critical eye on expenses and wondering if the new digital environment means that they can endure some, says Casey. The state has a dashboard, used by approximately a third of the districts, which follows the use of Edtech, which gives an overview of the districts on the software licenses which are really used and are therefore precious. It helps the districts to ensure that each dollar counts, says Casey.
The state also tries to show districts where they can find cuts. For example: they can rely on digital teaching materials or open educational resources (OER) collected by the State, instead of expensive printed program equipment. Ideally, technological investments can be the bridge of cost savings over time, says Casey.
At the national level, things change quickly.
Restless waters
Without help, the schools are attacked.
The recent violation of Powerschool – a K -12 software company based in California which serves 18,000 schools and around 60 million students – underlines the vulnerability of the school to cyber -men, explains James, of the Center for American Progress. (It is Currently unknown How many students have been affected by the violation.)
The districts lack financial resources, infrastructure and expertise to protect themselves and the students, says James. But the current administration could ensure that schools are not soft targets, she adds.
However, the administration itself can represent an obstacle to digital access as it operates to reduce action programs.
After taking office, President Trump published a executive action To reduce what the directive called for “radical and useless” programs and programs and programs of equity and inclusion. In the wake of the order, hundreds of government web pages referring to diversity or equity have been censored, and federal staff were forced to take leave, says James.
This could affect the thrust to increase digital access. For example, the United States Ministry of Education Recently revised national educational technology planmeant as a complete national vision of the closure of digital divisions, highly adopted equity.
The Trump administration is also should try to unravel widely The Department of Education, adding additional precariousness.
The national technological plan has not yet been affected, according to James. But it says that it is worth paying attention to whether there are drawbacks in the federal government’s commitment to digital equity.
Currently, the results of these actions are not clear, says James.
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