Digital Equity

More integrations, low-connectivity tools, small language models, an avalanche of resumes: This is not a Christmas wish list but a set of predictions for what generative AI will bring to education in the months ahead.

Plus, a new dashboard compiles state-level rules on digital transformation, the American Library Association launches a new digital inclusion working group for library staffers, and more.

The district used Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) COVID-19 relief funds to buy Avantis Education ClassVR tools for 17 schools. The technology will be available to students this academic year.

The Texas Broadband Development Office is asking for input from the public on a new plan to expand access to the Internet. Roughly 3 million households in the state lack access to high-speed Internet.

City staff are close to proposing a deal with an Internet service provider that would build a citywide fiber-optic network. An official said they are negotiating with a potential vendor.

Most U.S. schools reported having Wi-Fi access in every classroom in the 2020-21 school year, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education released last month. The figure was 96 percent in New York.

An initiative by the digital equity nonprofit Digitunity sent devices to over 41,000 students since 2021, but the success of the program hinges on tech support, device refurbishment and digital literacy training.

Post-pandemic federal funding for digital equity and broadband initiatives has pushed connectivity work forward exponentially. As the new year approaches, experts ask: How do we keep this going?

Comcast has donated $30,000 to the Aurora Public Library District Foundation for a digital navigator program that will offer residents access to skill-building and Internet resources.

The New Hampshire Department of Education will cover the $4.8 million costs of Tutor.com’s 24/7 services for all students in grades four and up, including adult high school equivalency diploma candidates.

With an election that promises to usher in a new administration for North Carolina, CIO James Weaver is focusing his energy on improving the foundations of state IT while also embracing new — and unstoppable — technologies.

Idaho County took a step forward with the broadband project between Grangeville and Orofino with an $11.5 million fiber-optic conduit grant from the Idaho Broadband Advisory Board. A $14.5 million grant was awarded in November.

Plus, a new survey has found that more than 80 percent of respondents have high-speed Internet through fiber; the Pittsburgh Digital Equity Coalition has released a new strategic plan; and more.

The county has secured $15 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to expand broadband infrastructure and improve Internet access for county residents. The county was selected from a pool of more than 113 applications.

A dozen Houston-area state lawmakers sent a letter to Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles asking him to restore a partnership with Verizon that provided free laptops and Internet access to thousands of students.

Ohio’s new policy aims to ensure AI accountability with human verification mandates, plus a council to set requirements for how agencies must use the new technology, among other considerations.

The grant award to Dairyland Power Cooperative comes through the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. Dairyland will supply the infrastructure groundwork for others to bring broadband Internet to rural areas.

Plus, the New York State Library is preparing to hold a digital equity roundtable, a report details the lack of Internet at rural Pennsylvania schools, and more.