From areas of progress to rising challenges, SETDA’s Universal Connectivity Imperative builds on past reports and connects to the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) assessment of the digital access divide. The experts who put the imperative together intend for policymakers and K–12 education leaders to use it like a roadmap.

To that end, the document examines the ways states are implementing laws and guidelines concerning various K–12 priorities, such as cybersecurity. In education budget conversations, hopes for federal funding can overshadow the need for state funding, yet only 8% to 10% of K–12 funding comes from the federal government. As stimulus money winds down, SETDA says, it’s more important than ever to make K–12 a priority in statewide planning.

The report makes recommendations for schools, including connectivity benchmarks and how to achieve them, as well as technology training and support. Here’s what schools can take away from the Universal Connectivity Imperative and what they should do next.

Connectivity for Equitable Access Anywhere

One element that’s clear in the Universal Connectivity Imperative is SETDA’s agreement with the NETP and the Federal Communications Commission that all students must be connected. The authors list the FCC broadband benchmark (a download speed of 100 megabits per second and an upload speed of 20Mbps) as a goal to ensure reliable connectivity “regardless of their location within their communities.”

SETDA’s position is that students need connectivity wherever they are. There are still many who lack connectivity at home. The homework gap is real, and it’s an equity issue.

The report includes a table that offers a closer look at connectivity, beyond whether a home is “connected” or “disconnected.” The table is pulled from the Council of Chief State School Officers’ “Restart & Recovery: Home Digital Access Data Collection: Blueprint for State Education Leaders.” 

The Importance of Training and Tech Support

One uniquely important element of this report is its focus on digital skills.

Giving someone a device and an internet connection without training on how to use them effectively doesn’t benefit the recipient or create equity. Users also need skills pertaining to how to keep their data private and be good online citizens.

DISCOVER: Schools view technology as a guardrail to good digital citizenship.

I was part of a working group for this report, and the need for skills came up frequently, as did the idea of tech support. What if something doesn’t work?

People who have been using technology for years may have a sense of where to start when troubleshooting on our own. But think of people who have not used technology. I always use my dad as an example: I got him a Chromebox, which is the desktop version of a Chromebook. I chose this because there are no software updates, so nothing can “break.” Still, he calls every few months to claim his computer’s broken; I usually just have to reset his passwords.

Because he’s in his 70s, he never used a computer at work. So, if it doesn’t work exactly the way we showed him it should work, he can’t troubleshoot it at all. His skills are more in line with fixing an antique tractor.

Next Steps to Find and Implement Solutions

Before acting on suggestions in the Universal Connectivity Imperative, K–12 IT leaders should review their technology plans. They must ask themselves questions: Are all of my students connected, wherever they are? How? If they aren’t, do we have a plan to get there or a reason why not? Do we have plans for teaching digital citizenship?

A lot of schools either don’t have technology plans, or they’re not as comprehensive as they could be. Asking the right questions and working them into future technology plans will benefit students. There is a call to action in the Universal Connectivity Imperative at the start of section four, “Policies for K–12 Universal Connectivity,” that’s broken into five bullet points. This is a great place for school leaders to start.

As they’re building out new or more robust plans, school leadership can talk to CDW about options. We have information about the right devices, the right connectivity solutions and any cybersecurity needs schools may have.