St. Louis High Schoolers Get Free Phones, Cell Service

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 09/30/19

High school students in St. Louis Public School District received free smartphones and wireless connectivity from wireless provider Sprint as part of the 1million Project. This was the third year in a row when students in the district participated in the program. In the latest round, 1,200 students received devices, which they were told, they could "keep for good."

Sprint first committed to providing wireless broadband connectivity for up to 50,000 low-income K-12 students across the country in 2014, as part of the Obama administration's ConnectEd initiative, a public and private effort to put technology into classrooms and into the hands of students and teachers.

The latest distribution took place at Carnahan High School of the Future. Students received Samsung Galaxy J3 Achieve phones, along with cellular service. The phones include hotspot functionality that enables students to get access to the internet from their computers at home too.

"Many of our students are dealing with multiple hardships that make studying and learning difficult in their home environment," said Lewis Reed, president of the Board of Aldermen, during the presentation. "What we're doing today, through this Sprint 1million project is working to close the homework gap for these kids."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Abstract AI circuit board pattern

    Nonprofit LawZero to Work Toward Safer, Truthful AI

    Turing Award-winning AI researcher Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a nonprofit aimed at developing AI systems that prioritize safety and truthfulness over autonomy.

  • digital learning resources including a document, video tutorial, quiz checklist, pie chart, and AI cloud icon

    Quizizz Rebrands as Wayground, Announces New AI Features

    Learning platform Quizizz has become Wayground, in a rebranding meant to reflect "the platform's evolution from a quiz tool into a more versatile supplemental learning platform that's supported by AI," according to a news announcement.

  • silhouetted student stands before the White House, surrounded by abstract digital graphics of brains, circuits, and AI elements

    White House Sets Sights on AI Education

    A new executive order from President Donald Trump aims to advance America's position in artificial intelligence technology by incorporating AI into education and providing AI training for educators.

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Reports Point to Domain Controllers as Prime Ransomware Targets

    A recent report from Microsoft reinforces warns of the critical role Active Directory (AD) domain controllers play in large-scale ransomware attacks, aligning with U.S. government advisories on the persistent threat of AD compromise.