Over the next five years, Kansas plans to invest as much as $100 million to improve Internet access at school districts statewide, thanks to a partnership between Kansas state agencies and EducationSuperHighway, Gov. Sam Brownback announced last week. The new program is called the Kansas Connect and Learn Initiative.
“This partnership will help expand technology in every classroom across the state,” said Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson in a statement announcing the partnership.
Kansas’ partner in improving broadband access, EducationSuperHighway, is a nonprofit with the goal of improving Internet access in classrooms across the country.
“The goal of this initiative is for every child to have the same opportunities when it comes to learning through technology. This is important–especially since the new vision focuses on every child becoming successful,” said Watson.
EducationSuperHighway’s team will provide school districts support, data analytics, and technical resources needed to upgrade broadband networks to scalable, cost-effective infrastructure, and high-speed bandwidth. The organization’s services will be provided at no cost to the school districts.
“Ensuring that every classroom in our state has high-speed Internet is the first essential step to enabling digital learning and unleashing the potential of our children to compete in the 21st-century workforce,” Brownback said.
