Search form

Back to Blog

President to Bring High-Speed Internet to Schools

In an effort to boost achievement and better prepare students for the workforce, President Obama is spearheading a program that will bring high-speed Internet access to 99 percent of America's K-12 schools.

Dubbed ConnectED, the program aims to accomplish its goal in the next five years. In addition to bringing Internet speeds of at least 100 Mbps and as high as 1Gbps, the program will provide comprehensive training to teachers so that they are up-to-speed on best practices for using the Web in class.

A particular focus of ConnectED will be rural schools that have difficulty accessing the Internet. In a statement, Obama was clear that getting students connected and teachers trained is a priority. "We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology," he said. "So today, I'm issuing a new challenge for America -- one that families, businesses, school districts and the federal government can rally around together -- to connect virtually every student in America's classrooms to high-speed broadband Internet within five years, and equip them with the tools to make the most of it."

More

The Iditarod is Coming! (The Last Great...

 

The Iditarod, held in the state of Alaska, begins this coming weekend! (March 4th)

Fun Facts to Share with Students!

  1. Danish explorer Vitus Bering was the first European to discover Alaska. The year was 1741.
  2. A lamp is lit at the beginning of the Iditarod race and isn’t extinguished until the very last dog team finishes the race.
  3. The last team to reach the finish line...

Around the World in 30 Days: February...

C. M. Rubin’s Monthly Global Education Report

This month in The Global Search for Education, I had the pleasure of interviewing both the Minister of Education and Culture for Finland, Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, and President of the National Center on...

The Global Search for Education: Dear...

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls on countries to begin efforts to achieve the 17 SDGs over the next 15 years. The goals address the needs of people in both developed and developing countries, emphasizing that no one should be left behind. Protecting the Planet is one of the major focuses of these goals...

World Book Day is Coming! Amazing Book...

World Book Day!
Click here for the Free Interactive Notebook Activity on Amazing Book Facts!

Amazing Book Facts: Did You Know?

  1. Did you know that the Chinese invented paper around 105 A.D.? Before this, people wrote on parchment (animal skin) to create books.
  2. Each...

The Global Search for Education: Top...

Twitter, Facebook and other prominent new social and online media platforms have a very different structure to any free press vehicle we have seen in the modern world. There is no third-party editing process by a recognized and respected media brand (which would include fact checking and a professional editorial review). Content “as...

The Global Search for Education: The...

“A growing number of other countries are turning out entire high school graduating classes that are much better educated than ours, with much more equity, and they are doing it at a lower cost per student.” — Marc Tucker

Fears of rising unemployment fueled by automation of millions...

Lawmakers Would Like A Statue of...

Using the News in the Classroom

This week, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) and co-sponsor Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) have introduced a bill to have a statue of Harriet Tubman placed in a "prominent location" in the U.S. Capitol. In 2012, a commission was set up to raise money to pay for a statue of Harriet Tubman. In order for such a statue to be in the Capitol, lawmakers must...

Providing Preservice Teachers with...

It's no secret in the education world that gifted education training is not a priority for new teachers. In teacher preparation programs, if preservice teachers receive any kind of training, it's generally short discussions or readings in their existing education courses (Chamberlin and Chamberlin, 2010). As Troxclair (2013) writes, "[h]istorically, preservice teachers have had little exposure in their teacher training programs regarding the nature and needs of gifted learners, theories of...

The Global Search for Education: Meet...

“Professional, highly-trained and highly respected teachers are a key factor in our success: teachers have pedagogical autonomy so they decide by themselves which teaching methods and materials they use.” —  Sanni Grahn-Laasonen

Sanni Grahn-Laasonen says her...

Pages