Policy Issues


A New Mission for EducationSuperHighway

The nonprofit that helped close the school digital gap is now back, with a new goal: Making sure families who need home access to affordable broadband can get it.

Nonprofit EducationSuperHighway Aims for Helping Fill Household Broadband Gap

EducationSuperHighway is shifting its attention away from the needs of K-12 internet connectivity and to the unconnected American household. The nonprofit, which helped close down the "classroom connectivity gap," has a new mission: to make sure the 18.1 million households that can't afford to connect to broadband get it.

Report: Network Security an 'Urgent Concern,' Needs E-rate Support

Network security in schools and libraries is both urgent and deserving of funding through the federal E-rate program, according to the latest E-rate Trends Report, released today by E-rate services and support firm Funds for Learning.

Digital Promise Research Project to Focus on Digital Learning at Scale

Education innovator Digital Promise has launched a new network that's intended to inspire research on digital learning at scale in both K-12 and higher education. SEERNet is a five-year program with a model that differs from the traditional approach of research.

States Follow Haphazard Standards to Collect Student Device and Internet Access Data

While a lot of districts and schools struggled on their own during the early months of the pandemic to come up with ways to figure out which of their students needed access to computing gear and broadband, the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has had a better idea: Why not come up with a standardized way to collect that information that local education agencies can turn to when the need arises?

4 More States Get Approval for American Rescue Plan Funds, Receive $2.8 Billion

The United States Department of Education has approved school plans from four more states and delivered a total of $2.817 billion in remaining American Rescue Plan funds to those states.

K–12 Cybersecurity Act Signed into Law

On Friday, Oct. 8, President Biden signed the K–12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021 into law. The act comes in response to growing data security incidents impacting K–12 schools in recent years, including a dramatic rise in ransomware and other forms of malware.

Florida District Receives First Project SAFE Grant

Alachua County Public Schools in Florida has received the first grant under the Biden administration's Project to Support America's Families and Educators (Project SAFE) program, which is designed to compensate schools that lose some portion of their funding as a result of COVID-19 policies that come into conflict with state policies.

Student Device Monitoring a Threat to LGBTQI+ Students, Student Expression —Report

Student device monitoring disproportionately affects kids who cannot afford their own devices and, according to a new report, poses threats to student privacy (such as LGBTQI+ students who might be "outed") and creates a significant chilling effect on student expression.

4 States Get Approval for Remaining American Rescue Plan Funds

The United States Department of Education (ED) has approved school plans from four states for the use of American Rescue Plan ESSER funds, distributing about $1.84 billion in remaining funds.