| TOP STORIES Coronavirus Sparks New Interest in Bridging Digital Divides
Advocates and government staffers in the broadband and digital equity space say there is a renewed interest in supporting their work, with shelter-at-home orders emphasizing the need to bridge digital divides. READ MORE High School Coaches Working With Athletes Via Technology
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent measures to stop the spread have put most lives in the United States at a standstill, and that number includes those revolving around high school athletics. READ MORE Coronavirus: Ohio Schools Spend $50K on Wireless Data
Columbus Schools — the state's largest district, with about 50,000 students — has gone online, with staff doling out 15,480 laptops to families over 10 days, training teachers, and assigning students email addresses. READ MORE Chicago School Officials Work to Close Large Digital Divide
Chicago Public Schools will distribute computers to the highest-need students, with priority given to eighth graders, juniors and seniors, who are all at critical moments in their educational careers. READ MORE Amazon Donates Laptops to Students Amid Coronavirus Closure
Amazon is donating 8,200 laptops to families of students in Seattle Public Schools who don’t have access to a device needed for remote learning while schools are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE After Indefinite Shutdown, Pennsylvania Schools Go Digital
The governor last week extended the shutdown indefinitely, which spurred many districts to make the commitment to plunge back into specific coursework online instead of just treading water with enrichment activities. READ MORE Oregon Schools Provide Devices to Students for E-Learning
School districts in the Eugene-Springfield area began distributing laptops and tablets to students late last week in an effort to close access gaps for students without technology at home needed for remote learning. READ MORE Philadelphia Students Stuck at Home Without Internet Access
About 14,700 kids in Philadelphia didn’t own a computer in 2018, and thousands more lack the Internet connection they need to learn from home, as more than 21,500 kids did not have an Internet subscription. READ MORE North Carolina Parents Make Online Learning Work at Home
Guilford County, N.C., schools will go on spring break next week, but it’s now been nearly three weeks of trying to learn while out of the classroom for most of the district’s about 72,000 students. READ MORE Schools Struggle to Get Laptops to Students During Pandemic
A school superintendent in Connecticut this week likened getting 60,000 laptops into the hands of needy high school students around the state to filling Yankee Stadium and making everyone walk out with a computer. READ MORE | 