School District Extends Wi-Fi to Students in Public Housing

Near the Ping-Pong and foosball tables, a strange contraption sits against the west wall of the Birch Creek Youth Center. It looks like a cross between an old-school video-arcade console and a modern-day ATM -- but it's actually a kiosk placed in the recreation hub by the Kent (WA) school district. The kiosk emits free Wi-Fi in a 75-foot radius and features a 42-inch LED screen up top to display the latest district news.

For many students who live in nearby public housing and go to school in the surrounding 27,400-student school system, the kiosk acts as a bridge between the digital connectivity they have through laptops and other devices at school and the lack of Internet access they cope with at home. The Kent district has placed nine kiosks across the community, in three community centers and six district schools, and has coordinated with local businesses and organizations to establish a network of school-sponsored Wi-Fi hotspots. The district has used donations and partnerships to help defray some of the costs associated with the $6,500 kiosks. The idea is to make it easier for students, particularly those living in poverty, to access the Web away from school for homework and research after school hours. It's a goal shared by numerous school systems around the country, which have taken myriad approaches to boosting connectivity outside the classroom.