Two years ago the FCC modernized the E-Rate funding program for K-12 schools to focus on building better in-building experiences through Wi-Fi. While many schools are planning on taking advantage of this program, too many are going to use the new medium to teach the old way. They are missing what deploying Wi-Fi could really mean for the success of every student.
Recently, Zeus Kerravala, founder and principal analyst of ZK Research, interviewed Neal Tilley, business development director for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) and an expert on technology used in K-12 schools. They discussed the opportunities that many schools are overlooking when considering what the E-Rate funding program can mean for their schools.
Out-of-order priorities
According to Neal, K-12 schools have their priorities out of order. "The top four were personalize learning, digital content and curriculum, professional development, and online testing. On the surface, this seems great, but the bottom four were cybersecurity policy, data management and analytics, student data privacy, and cybersecurity tools.
The irony here is that the school can’t really achieve the top four goals without addressing the bottom four first."
Read more of the interview to get a better understanding of what your K-12 can do with E-Rate funding to change from "no child left behind" to "every student succeeds."