President Obama Unveils ConnectED Initiative to Bring America’s Students into Digital Age

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President Barack Obama unveiled a bold, new initiative called ConnectED to connect 99 percent of America’s students to the Internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to modernize and leverage its existing E-Rate program to meet that goal. The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers trained on its advantages. And he called on businesses, states, districts, schools and communities to support this vision. This ambitious initiative does not require Congressional action.

Millions of students lack high-speed broadband access and fewer than 20 percent of educators say their school’s Internet connection meets their teaching needs. ConnectED will bring high-speed Internet within their reach, with a particular benefit for rural communities that have lagged behind in connectivity. In addition to connecting America’s students, ConnectED harnesses the ingenuity of the American private sector get new technologies into students’ hands and support digital learning content. ConnectED also better invests existing federal funds to ensure that every educator in America receives support and training in using education technology tools to improve student learning. The ambitious new vision for digital, connected learning builds on work the Administration has done over the past four years to increase broadband access across the country.


President Obama Unveils ConnectED Initiative to Bring America’s Students into Digital Age What is ConnectEd? (White House blog) Bringing America’s Students into the Digital Age (White House blog II) ConnectED: President Obama’s Plan for Connecting All Schools to the Digital Age (White House fact sheet) Statement (FCC Chairwoman Clyburn) Statement (FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel) President Calls for High-Speed Broadband in 99% of Schools/Libraries (Multichannel News) Obama Promises to Have High-Speed Internet in Most Schools in 5 Years (NYTimes) Obama Goal: High-Speed Internet for Most Schools (WSJ)