Digital Equity

Verizon to Add 50 More Learning Labs and 50 More Innovative Learning Schools

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 06/13/22

Verizon is celebrating 10 years of its digital inclusion-focused education initiative by announcing that the telecommunications company will launch Verizon Innovative Learning Labs in 50 more Title I schools this fall and is adding 50 new Title I schools to its Innovative Learning Schools program, bringing the program’s total reach to 561 schools nationwide, the company said.

The Verizon Innovative Learning initiative has led the company to commit nearly $1 billion to support digital equity and inclusion in the nation’s education system, particularly in areas historically under-resourced, the company said. The initiative has already reached 1.5 million students, Verizon said, and is part of its Citizen Verizon business plan for “economic, environmental and social advancement, which is underpinned by using leading edge technology to drive social impact and create lasting change,” according to a news release.

“We understood early on that closing the digital skills gap in the U.S. must start in under-resourced schools. Verizon Innovative Learning is a strategy to help solve this issue. Our mission has never wavered and now, 10 years later, we are proud to have reached nearly 1.5M students. This is an important milestone, yet our work is far from over,” said Verizon’s Chief of Corporate Social Responsibility Rose Stuckey Kirk. “We will continue expanding and evolving this initiative to ensure that deserving students have the tech tools and resources to become the next generation of innovators.”

The Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program, in partnership with nonprofit Digital Promise, equips students and teachers at select Title I schools across the country with free technology devices, free internet access, and innovative STEM learning programs through its free online learning platform — as well as extensive teacher training focused on integrating technology into the learning experience and ongoing educator support, Verizon said.

Students and teachers at schools selected for the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program receive devices including tablets and laptops, as well as hotspots with up to four years of data, Verizon said. The addition of 50 Title I schools to the program means Verizon’s Innovative Learning initiative has reached 561 schools in 95 districts across 37 states, the company said.

In addition, Verizon also announced that it will open 50 new Verizon Innovative Learning Labs in Title I schools this fall, bringing the total to 107 across 18 states. Each Innovative Learning Lab provides students with a modernized workspace filled with emerging technology tied to a project-based, STEM-focused curriculum. In collaboration with initiative partners Heart of America and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab program gives students access to new learning tools such as virtual reality equipment, 3D printing stations, augmented reality apps, and more in a “custom-designed, state-of-the-art experiential learning environment,” according to a news release. Verizon said it plans to install 5G technology to over 100 Verizon Innovative Learning Labs within Title I schools across the country in the coming years.

Verizon’s new Innovative Learning Labs will be installed in the following 60 Title I schools this fall, bringing the total to 107 across 18 states, a spokesman told THE Journal. The Verizon Innovative Learning Labs serve as modern, tech-enabled education workspaces complete with emerging technologies such as AR/VR, coding, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence. Learn more at Verizon.digitalpromise.org.

Locations of New Verizon Innovative Learning Labs Opening Fall 2022

• Alhambra USD, Alhambra, Calif.
  • Catalina Ventura School
  • Alhambra Traditional School
  • Global Academy of Phoenix
• Alum Rock Union School District, San Jose, Calif.
  • Hubbard Media Arts Academy
• Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore, Md.
  • Baltimore Design School
• Birmingham City Schools, Birmingham, Ala.
  • Hudson K-8 School
  • Wilkerson Middle School
• Broward County Public Schools, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
  • Glades Middle School
  • New Renaissance Middle School
  • Pines Middle School
• Cleveland Metro School District, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Almira School
  • Wade Park School
  • Patrick Henry School
  • Whitney M. Young Schools PreK-8
• Compton USD, Compton, Calif.
  • Ardella B. Tibby K-8 Elementary School
  • Early College 6-12
  • Franklin S. Whaley Middle School
  • Laurel Street School
• Crescent City Schools, New Orleans, La.
  • Dorothy I. Height Charter School (formerly Paul Habans Charter School)
• Fall River Public Schools, Fall River, Mass.
  • Henry Lord Community School
  • John J. Doran Community School
  • Matthew J. Kuss Middle School
  • Talbot Middle School
• Glendale Elementary SD, Glendale, Ariz.
  • Sunset Vista School
• Glendale USD, Glendale, Calif.
  • Woodrow Wilson Middle School
• Gresham-Barlow SD, Gresham, Ore.
  • Clear Creek Middle School
  • Dexter McCarty Middle School
• Houston ISD, Houston, Texas
  • Edison Middle School
  • Holland Middle School
  • Audrey H. Lawson Middle School
  • Fleming Middle School Magnet for Fine Arts
  • Forest Brook Middle School
  • Francis Scott Key Middle School
  • Hartman Middle School
  • Navarro Middle School
  • Paul Revere Middle School
  • Fonville Middle School
  • Tanglewood Middle School
• Irving ISD, Irving, Texas:
  • Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School
• Los Angeles USD, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Holmes Middle School Humanities Magnet
  • Samuel Gompers Middle School
• Mater Academy Schools, Hialeah Gardens, Fla.
  • Mater Academy Charter Middle School
  • Mater Lakes Academy
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Fla.
  • Andover Middle School
  • Carol City Middle School
  • West Miami Middle School
• Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee, Wis.
  • H.W. Longfellow Middle School
• Newark Public Schools, Newark, N.J.
  • Dr. William H. Horton School
• NYC District 19, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Vista Academy
• NYC District 8, Bronx, N.Y.
  • Soundview Academy for Culture & Scholarship

Learn more about Verizon’s digital inclusion and education efforts at CitizenVerizon.com.