NEWSLETTER
The extra money that flowed from the federal government during the pandemic has left the districts in New Mexico with a problem.
Pandemia increased Internet access for students. That is partly due to the fact that school districts bought devices with relief money. These days, around 285,000 students in the state have a device issued by school, says John Chadwick, Digital Capital Coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Education.
Even so, there are still “connectivity deserts”, areas where Internet access is limited, particularly in tribal and rural lands. In total, about 8 percent of K-12 students in New Mexico still lack devices, Chadwick estimates.
But at this time, it is important to avoid losing progress.
The devices acquired by schools must be replaced every three to five years, and key federal financing programs have expired. Anxious to maintain digital profits, Chadwick has approached the state legislature several times about the “device update” problem. But it is running in speed potholes. For example, trying to provide precise numbers to the legislature about how much money will take is complicated because they do not have easy access to that data.
Then Chadwick is exploring imaginative options. For example, you are trying to persuade schools to lease instead of their own devices, based on a creative interpretation of An old statute of the 1990s – Because you think this will reduce costs and open the state budget. The districts tell Chadwick that the cost of owned arises from having to install software in tens of thousands of devices. The lease of a device can mean that the devices come with software already installed and configured and could also develop updates in school budgets, says Chadwick.
Even if New Mexico's solution is unique, its difficult situation is common throughout the country.
The federal government calculates that 92 percent of school districts He used federal relief money to buy edtech, including devices and other expenses related to digital access, such as software. That increased the number of students capable of accessing the Internet for learning, a rare advantage resulting from the pandemic.
But with the financing of the federal pandemic, it is not clear if these online gains can be maintained. In addition, there are worrying signs: according to a recent study, few states even have plans on how to help districts prevent digital access from disappearing. In addition, an inclination of the administration to remodel the federal government could slow or reverse progress.
Tightening the bags of the bag
Pandemia began a national movement around digital equity, and brought significant infrastructure investments to effort, according to JI SOO Song, project director and initiatives for the Association of State Educational technology Directors, a membership organization for educational leaders for educational leaders state.
When schools were forced to remote learning, Internet access was seen as a need.
At that time, districts could use federal dollars to present a case to state legislators to demonstrate that they need more investment in areas such as K-12 students, says Song. That led more students to access the Internet for learning, at home and in schools. From broadband to devices, skills and technical support and inclusion of digital tools and platforms, the country made significant advances, says Song.
But now, the key federal programs that financed these investments have expired. Last year, the Emergency Connectivity Fund, a multi -million dollar program aimed at helping schools change remote learning during pandemic. So did the affordable connectivity program, a widely used program that provided discount Internet for families at home, and Esser, a federal relief reinforcement that many schools spent to improve digital access.
In addition to endangering digital access, the end of federal financing was poorly scheduled, says Song.
Many schools are already tied by income, says Weadé James, director of K-12 policy for the group of experts The Center for American Progress. Many districts are experiencing budget deficit, leading to the layoffs of teachers and even at the close of the school. The financing hole was exacerbated because many schools did not adjust their hiring or salary increases to account for fewer funds after the height of the pandemic, James adds.
There is some reason to think that the new reality is being established.
The districts have told Edsurge that the disappearance of these funds has made them “ruthlessly” reassess edtech's purchases made during the pandemic.
But observers say that the country needs a solid plan, both at the state and federal level, to ensure that it does not slide backwards.
At the moment, the vast majority of states are not prepared. In fact, only 27 percent of states have plans to maintain K-12 technology, according to Recent research of the Association of State Educational technology Directors. The report, known as the universal connectivity imperative, draws the impulse for universal Internet access for students both inside and outside school.
Federal plans to close digital divisions and ensure that all students can participate in education have focused on three categories: design, access and use of technology. Although profits have been obtained, there are still problems to access technology. Some investigation He has found racial gaps in whom he can access the 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 eliminate Internet access from 3 million homes, forced another 8.3 million to reduce the slower plans, according to the Universal Connectivity Report. In addition, while most students get some, few families receive assistance to learn digital skills, according to the report.
The report recommends a series of policies, including revival federal legislation To raise funds for digital capital programs and for state legislators to collect and use data on which students have access to technology.
Song expects states to learn from each other, so the report highlights examples of how some are handling the transition.
In the Care Center
Connecticut is one of the states highlighted in the report.
In Connecticut, the districts have the advantage of an active state infrastructure. The State saw a constant increase in programs where schools put devices in the hands of students even before the pandemic, says Doug Casey, executive director of the Connecticut Educational technology Commission. Even so, Esser's funds were useful for the final obstacle: make sure almost all students had devices. That is important: it can have a large broadband connection outside the school, but without a device dedicated not long ago, says Casey.
The State Digital Capital Program is led by a dedicated commission focused on online learning, the Commission for Educational technology, which analyzes policies and programs in all schools. Casey says that almost all intermediate and secondary schools in the state are investing in device programs, pointing out Commission data.
But financing is still a problem.
With missing federal funds, the commission has encouraged schools to budge creatively. That means launching a critical eye of expenses and questioning whether the new digital environment means that they can recover some, says Casey. The state has a board, used by approximately one third of the districts, which tracks the use of edtech, which gives districts information on which software licenses are really being used and, therefore, are valuable. Help districts to make sure every dollar tells, says Casey.
The State is also trying to show the districts where you can find cuts. For example: they can trust digital instruction materials, or open educational resources (REA) compiled by the State, instead of expensive printed curricular materials. Ideally, technology investments can be the entrance door to cost savings over time, says Casey.
Nationally, things are changing quickly.
Choppy waters
Without help, schools are aggressors.
The recent breach of Powerschool, a K-12 software company based in California that serves 18,000 schools and approximately 60 million students, underlines the vulnerability of the school to cyber threats, says James, of the Center for American Progress. (Is Currently unknown how many students were affected by the violation).
The districts lack financial resources, infrastructure and experience to protect themselves and the students, says James. But the current administration could ensure that schools are not soft objectives, he adds.
However, the administration itself can represent an obstacle to digital access, since it works to cut capital programs.
When assuming the position, President Trump issued a Executive action To reverse what the directive called the diversity, the “radical and wasteful” diversity programs and initiatives. Following the order, hundreds of government websites that refer to diversity or equity were censored, and federal staff has been forced to say goodbye, says James.
This could affect the impulse for greater digital access. For example, the recently reviewed National Educational technology Plan of the US Department of Education meant as a comprehensive national vision for the closure of digital divisions, widely adopted equity.
The Trump administration is also It is expected to try to dismantle widely The Department of Education, adding more precariousness.
The National technology Plan has not yet been affected, according to James. But she says it is worth paying attention to whether there is any inconvenience in the federal government's commitment to digital equity.
Currently, the results of these actions are not clear, says James.
