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Rural school district creates free internet service to keep students connected

Tahera Rahman

September 18, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Lockhart, Texas

At least 40 percent, or 2,000, students from Lockhart ISD didn’t have access to reliable internet. To address the issue, the school district built seven towers. They also installed antennas on individual homes so they can receive the signals from the towers. As a result, 1,300 students got connected. “This is about equity,” Estrada said. “Every one of our Lockhart Lions needs to have access to the opportunities they deserve to grow and truly thrive.”

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How schools are finding thousands of students they couldn't reach when the pandemic began

Jennifer Sanders

September 18, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Leander, Texas

For one school district in Texas, using personal relationships established before the pandemic, proved the best way to reach bilingual students in rural parts of the district who weren't showing up to remote classes. One librarian and a parent “went door-to-door there to track down students and find out how they could help families transition to virtual learning. They also had parents fill out note cards showing how many children lived in the home to make sure no child was left behind.” Other Texas districts are similarly relying on home visits to check on students. Data shows those methods work.

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No WiFi at home? One Virginia school district has a creative solution for students

Lex Gray

September 18, 2020 |

WAVY-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Suffolk, Virginia

A school district in Virginia has implemented a two-prong solution to provide internet access to rural students during the pandemic. The indoor solution allows students to make appointments to be inside the school to access the internet. The outside solution, equipping three schools in the district with equipment to boost their Wi-Fi signals, allowing students who can’t make indoor appointments a way to access the Wi-Fi. “We just took advantage of something that was already happening in the district."

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Community colleges pivot to support their vulnerable students

Madeline St. Amour

September 10, 2020 |

Inside Higher Ed |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Norwalk, California

Community college administrations across the U.S. are helping students continue their education during the pandemic by helping them address basic needs. Cerritos College in Norwalk, California has given away 300 free laptops and already ordered 200 more. Reynolds Community College in Virginia took a targeted approach by focusing on providing technology aid like loaning out computers, setting up internet hotspots in parking lots and, but the pandemic has exacerbated a longstanding struggle for many community colleges across the U.S.—lower federal funding per student when compared to flagship institutions.

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Remote Learning Progress Report: Broadband proves to be major issue

Emily Duggan

September 08, 2020 |

Concord Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

Rochester School District previously used hotspots on buses to help students traveling to extracurricular events, but once the pandemic showed how many families were struggling to stay virtually connected, the buses were turned into traveling hotspots for different neighborhoods. The district was able to get all but 20% of its student population connected and is looking for more ways to minimize the digital divide.

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Seniors Struggle With Isolation In The Pandemic. Here's How Some Organizations Are Trying To Help.

Edie Rubinowitz

September 07, 2020 |

WBEZ |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Illinois

The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated how seniors are able to come together for companionship, but groups in Illinois are trying to utilize technology to address the problem. While the digital divide is a significant limitation to this approach, some seniors say "they are having new experiences, meeting new people and that their world has actually expanded since COVID-19."

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Telemedicine and Montana's digital divide

Amanda Eggert

September 03, 2020 |

Montana Free Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Orlando, Florida

What started as a small group of young adults wanting to help their aging parents navigate telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic, is now a multi-state program that provides devices to seniors and low-income people as a way to close the digital divide. The group has grown to over 300 volunteers and partners with local health care providers, who in turn help their patients set up their new devices provided by the organization.

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Communities Are Trying To Help Working Parents Who Face A Child Care Gap

Anya Kamenetz

August 31, 2020 |

NPR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

School districts and cities are creating learning hubs, or learning centers, to provide students with remote learning and access to Wi-Fi. The hubs are free, low-cost, or subsided. The hubs are a necessary alternative for working parents who don’t have access to childcare or the internet at home.

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‘Digital Detroit' Works to Bridge Digital Divide for Small and Micro Businesses

Kristi Eaton

August 25, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

The city of Detroit is offering business services to entrepreneurs who want to bring their business online in the aftermath of the pandemic. Digital Detroit is the name of the program offering content creation and website development completely free of charge for a variety of businesses. Over 100 businesses were selected for the five-week program, helping the entrepreneurs to move their services online, creating, and launching websites as well as establishing social media presence, all of which has gone a long way in increasing sales and profits.

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Using tech and circuit riding to beat the pandemic

Shaun Griswold

August 24, 2020 |

New Mexico In Depth |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cuba, New Mexico

The Cuba Independent School District in northern New Mexico has deployed a fleet of school buses to deliver food and school kits to students from its districts. Bus drivers reach rural areas of Sandoval County and help over 500 students complete their lessons. The district also distributed USB bracelets so students can download their lessons when they reach a wi-fi hotspot and later access school content without the need for an internet connection.

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