The State Educational Technology Directors Association is calling on schools to boost their efforts to provide better Internet access for students and teachers.
The association has compiled a report, "The Broadband Imperative," that says in one survey, nearly 80 percent of schools felt that the broadband Internet access was inadequate to meet their existing needs. The report also states that broadband access in homes has leveled off since 2009 and remains at about 65 percent.
"If we are serious as a nation about preparing all students for colleges and careers, a concerted national effort will be required to address both school-based bandwidth needs and out-of-school access for students and educators," the report urges.
The association recommends that schools should strive by 2014-15 to provide at least 100 megabits per second of bandwidth for every 1,000 students and staff members. By 2017-18, the minimum should be 1 gigabit per second for every 1,000 students and staff.
The report also recommends that federal and state governments and school districts should take responsibility for providing broadband access to the Internet outside of schools—at homes as well as libraries and other publicly accessible institutions.
The State Educational Technology Directors Association is calling on schools to boost their efforts to provide better Internet access for students and teachers.
The association has compiled a report, "The Broadband Imperative," that says in one survey, nearly 80 percent of schools felt that the broadband Internet access was inadequate to meet their existing needs. The report also states that broadband access in homes has leveled off since 2009 and remains at about 65 percent.
"If we are serious as a nation about preparing all students for colleges and careers, a concerted national effort will be required to address both school-based bandwidth needs and out-of-school access for students and educators," the report urges.
The association recommends that schools should strive by 2014-15 to provide at least 100 megabits per second of bandwidth for every 1,000 students and staff members. By 2017-18, the minimum should be 1 gigabit per second for every 1,000 students and staff.
The report also recommends that federal and state governments and school districts should take responsibility for providing broadband access to the Internet outside of schools—at homes as well as libraries and other publicly accessible institutions.
