Press Category: On the Wire

Charlotte, NC (Tuesday, September 23, 2025) – Multiple solutions by Discovery Education are winners in the 2025 Best for Back to School Awards from Tech & Learning. Discovery Education is the creator of essential PreK-12 learning solutions used in classrooms around the world. 

Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Back to School 2025 help educators discover the most effective products and solutions for any learning environment. Tech & Learning judges evaluated products based on their versatility, value, and ability to solve specific problems and ability to support innovative, effective teaching and learning.  

“In an era where AI and new technologies are reshaping the classroom, and districts are focusing on sustainable, long-term investments, our readers rely on Tech & Learning to highlight the best products to support an equitable and effective learning environment,” says Tech & Learning Content Director, Christine Weiser. “The winning products met our rigorous evaluation criteria to qualify for this prestigious list.”  

This year, the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Back to School 2025 selected the following Discovery Education solutions as winners: 

Discovery Education Experience 

The essential companion for engaged classrooms, Discovery Education Experience is a supplemental cross-curricular digital resource that inspires teachers, motivates students, and supports instruction in science, social studies, and all other academic disciplines. Designed expressly for K-12 schools, Experience delivers all-in-one, ready-to-teach lessons and strategies, exciting career exploration resources, standards-aligned content, and flexible tools for differentiation and assessment.  

For back to school 2025, Discovery Education announced a host of new enhancements to Discovery Education Experience that include new tools and resources, AI technology, additional career explorations, and more such as: 

• Ready-to-teach lessons that enhance curriculum with research-based strategies. 

• Immersive learning resources that active participation, critical thinking, and real-world application of knowledge. 

• New virtual field trips that take students to unique places with partners such as DC Comics, Warner Bros. Discovery, the National Science Foundation, the NBA and WNBA, and more. 

DreamBox Math 

DreamBox Math by Discovery Education is a K-8 online math program that supplements core instruction in the classroom or at home and is independently proven by several third-party research organizations to increase math achievement. DreamBox Math by Discovery Education adapts dynamically to the learner, providing tailored instruction within a highly engaging, gamified learning environment. DreamBox Math lessons are available in both English and Spanish and are standards-aligned. 

Along with actionable reporting and tools that empower differentiation for all learners, DreamBox Math offers teachers content-specific professional learning and provides administrators critical insights into student progress. With DreamBox Math, every student is empowered to independently engage in interactive problem solving so they can develop conceptual understanding, apply a variety of strategies, and gain competence and confidence in mathematical reasoning and skills. 

DreamBox Reading 

DreamBox Reading by Discovery Education starts young readers off right with a highly engaging, systematic approach to literacy aligned to the Science of Reading. Built on the company’s patented Intelligent Adaptive Learning platform, DreamBox Reading captures data from student answers, strategies, and behaviors to personalize learning in real time.   

This adaptivity ensures that students are met where they are with just-right instruction and fun activities. Using DreamBox Reading, students develop proficiency over foundational skills through learning experiences built around their own progress, performance, productive struggle, and age-appropriate play.  

The back to school improvements for 2025 broaden DreamBox Reading’s coverage to support all PreK-5 learners and expand educators’ abilities to develop students’ foundational skills and confidence in reading through personalized instruction. These updates include: 

• Expanded access to adaptive and personalized Learning for older readers. New content includes more essential concepts and topics critical for learning to read, including foundational skills such as phonics, decoding, guided reading, and language skills such as vocabulary, spelling, word learning strategies, and more.  

• Enhancements to the student experience including a new, motivating, age-appropriate learning environment has been created to engage upper elementary learners.  

• Improved teaching and learning support with professional learning resources for PreK-5 educators that help to maximize classroom impact.  

DreamBox Reading by Discovery Education is certified as meeting the rigorous, evidence-based ESSA Tier IV standards as set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This research and more can be found here.   

“Thank you to the Tech & Learning judges for their thoughtful review of the submissions to the Best for Back to School Awards. Discovery Education works tirelessly to ensure educators have what they need, and want, to engage students in effective learning experience starting at the first bell,” said Brian Shaw, Chief Executive Officer at Discovery Education. “We are honored to receive this recognition, and I know these awards will inspire Discovery Education the team to continue innovating solutions that help all students achieve.” 

Learn more about the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Back to School 2025 here. 

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.  

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 19, 2025 — As districts across the country work to address stubbornly high levels of chronic absenteeism, SchoolStatus today announced the first early warning system that analyzes student attendance patterns in the first 60 days to identify students at risk of becoming chronically absent, making proactive outreach easy.

Unlike other solutions that stop at alerts, SchoolStatus Attend combines predictive insights with automated outreach, from digital campaigns to mailed letters, ensuring every family receives timely, accessible support. The SchoolStatus Attend solution was recently recognized by Tech & Learning’s Awards of Excellence: Back to School 2025, which celebrate the most impressive products and solutions that support the work of teachers, students, and parents. SchoolStatus Attend saves staff time, ensures consistent follow-through, and provides months of lead time to help schools intervene before absence patterns become entrenched.

SchoolStatus, a leading provider of K-12 attendance management and family engagement solutions, designed these updates to its Attend product to give districts what they need most: earlier insights into warning signs such as truancy, automated and faster interventions, and multimodal family engagement, while reducing the burden on staff and adapting to budget constraints.

The updates come at a time when, nationally, 23.5% of students are chronically absent. Research shows that systematic approaches consistently reduce chronic absences, especially when schools can identify at-risk students quickly and maintain strong family engagement throughout their academic journeys.

“Our data shows that proactive, systematic intervention works, but timing is everything,” said Dr. Kara Stern, SchoolStatus Director of Education. “This early-warning system will help educators intervene early with at-risk students and communicate effectively with all families through accessible methods that are easily translated into their home languages.”

How It Works

Early Warning System Predicts Chronic Absence Risk

SchoolStatus Attend’s new Early Warning Insights feature analyzes student attendance patterns from the first 60 days of school to flag students who are likely to become chronically absent by year’s end. The predictive alerts appear both in district dashboards for system-wide monitoring and in individual student views where staff can take immediate action.

“Predicting which students are heading toward chronic absenteeism within the first two months of the school year gives educators months to intervene before patterns become entrenched,” Dr. Stern explained. “Instead of waiting until a student has already missed 18 days, schools can course correct when they’ve only missed a few.”

District leaders can track intervention effectiveness across schools while individual staff members can see context-specific alerts that help them tailor family communication and support strategies based on individual student insights.

Building Positive School Climate Through Automated Engagement

For over two decades, SchoolStatus Attend has helped districts automate sending attendance letters, ensuring every student receives timely intervention. This year, districts will have a brand new way to engage families with digital attendance campaigns that are sent to families throughout the school year. This outreach enables schools to build on mailed interventions to further build a school climate where everyone understands and prioritizes the impact of daily attendance. The year-long campaigns celebrate student progress, encourages families to beat attendance averages, and recognize attendance improvements, creating a culture where attendance becomes part of school pride rather than just compliance.

Districts can choose from a variety of pre-built automated campaigns that align with their goals and are sent automatically based on Student Information System (SIS) data, so there is no additional work from staff. This approach ensures families receive timely, relevant communication that reinforces positive attendance habits at the perfect time

Breaking Down Language Barriers

Two-way translation capabilities remove language barriers that prevent effective family engagement. The system automatically translates messages into more than 130 languages, allowing families and educators to read and respond in their preferred language.

“Language should never be an obstacle to keeping kids in school,” Dr. Stern said. “When families can communicate naturally about attendance challenges, schools can address the real issues.”

Upcoming Release: Understanding Root Causes

Additional planned product enhancements align with the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) model by helping schools provide targeted interventions or customized support plans based on why each student is missing school.

A new screen, coming soon, will allow staff to easily capture the reasons students miss class after family conversations, which then informs district-wide data about specific barriers to attendance. Whether it’s transportation, health issues, or family circumstances, schools will be able to track patterns and address individual and community-wide challenges more effectively.

Supporting Systematic Success

The updates to SchoolStatus Attend directly support the systematic approaches that helped SchoolStatus partner districts achieve an average chronic absenteeism rate of 20.92% in the 2024-25 school year, well below the national average (23.5%). By making early identification easier and family engagement more accessible, the platform removes some of the most common barriers to student attendance.

“Schools know what works: early intervention, family engagement, and consistent follow-through,” said Dr. Stern. “These product updates make it possible to do those things at scale without overwhelming staff or leaving families behind due to language barriers.”

The new features are available immediately to SchoolStatus Attend users, along with training resources and implementation support. In addition, all K-12 educators can now access no-cost attendance planning tools, including the Mission: Attendance monthly resource series, at https://www.schoolstatus.com/mission-attendance.

About SchoolStatus

SchoolStatus gives educators the clarity and tools they need to get students to class and keep them moving ahead. The robust portfolio of solutions improves attendance, increases family engagement, supports educator development, and enhances administrative efficiency for thousands of districts and over 22 million students across all 50 states. By combining student insight, better systems, and meaningful support, SchoolStatus helps teachers and staff focus on students-making it easier to see what matters, act with speed, and stay focused on students.

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San Antonio, TX (September 4, 2025)—Over 25 years since Walking with Dinosaurs first stomped across the screen and following its awe-inspiring return this past June, BBC Studios has launched a virtual field trip that brings the wonder of prehistoric discovery directly into grade 3– 6 classrooms around the world. Offering students unprecedented access to dig sites and discoveries, comprehensive new educational resources on the BBC Learning Hub will enrich how students experience paleontology, natural history, and STEM concepts. 

The virtual field trip includes six dinosaur dig sites to “visit,” each with specially chosen video clips from this year’s exciting reimagining of Walking With Dinosaurs. Students can fill out the printable Paleontologist Field Journal as they watch, and complete quizzes about each dig site to explore and imagine the prehistoric past. Fun extras include a “Which Dinosaur Are You?” quiz, links to videos about how to build a dinosaur in Minecraft Education, and an easy-to-use teachers guide.  

Aligned with national science standards, the new materials are designed to support educators in creating engaging, hands-on learning experiences that inspire the next generation of scientists and paleontologists. 

“The Walking with Dinosaurs virtual field trips let students take the lead. Navigating the prehistoric world on their own fuels their fascination with dinosaurs, and empowers them to experience the scientific process in action,” said Dana Truby, executive director of content and partnerships for BBC Learning. “It’s a resource that makes science come alive.” 

Following the success of previous BBC Earth educational partnerships, including the Planet  Earth III and Frozen Planet II Minecraft Education worlds that have reached millions of students globally, these new Walking with Dinosaurs resources continue to demonstrate the power of 

combining world-class content with innovative educational approaches. The collaboration leverages BBC Studios’ award-winning factual programming expertise alongside PBS’s deep commitment to educational excellence in American classrooms. 

This educational partnership draws from the latest paleontological discoveries featured in the  Walking with Dinosaurs series. Students will explore the stories of iconic dinosaurs including  Spinosaurus, Triceratops, and Lusotitan, while learning fundamental scientific concepts about  

evolution, ecosystems, and research methodologies. The resources are designed to support diverse learning styles for grades 3–6.  

BBC Studios and PBS bring unparalleled expertise to this educational initiative. BBC Studios,  the commercial arm of the BBC, has a proven track record of creating educational content that reaches global audiences, producing more than 2,800 hours of award-winning programming each year. Their commitment to scientific accuracy and engaging storytelling makes complex topics accessible to learners of all ages. PBS, with more than 330 member stations nationwide, serves as America’s largest classroom, reaching millions of students through PBS Learning Media and providing educators with trusted, high-quality digital content that brings lessons to life. 

“What makes these resources exceptional is how they connect abstract scientific concepts to tangible discoveries students can see and touch,” said Kimmie Fink, Senior Editor of BBC  Learning and a former teacher. “When students learn about Triceratops through the lens of actual  paleontological fieldwork, they’re not just memorizing facts—they’re thinking like scientists.” 

The resources are designed to address critical needs in STEM education while fostering curiosity about the natural world. By connecting students to real paleontological discoveries and the scientists making them, the materials help bridge the gap between classroom learning and real world scientific inquiry. 

For educators, the resources offer professionally developed content that saves preparation time and helps them deliver engaging, standards-aligned instruction. The virtual field trip and supporting materials are available at no cost to educators, reflecting the BBC and PBS’s commitment to making high-quality educational content accessible to all students. Teachers and district leaders interested in accessing the Walking With Dinosaurs educational resources can visit the BBC Learning Hub. 

Walking With Dinosaurs is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on PBS,  PBS.org and the PBS app in the United States. BBC Studios owns the global licensing and sales rights for Walking With Dinosaurs.

About BBC Studios 

BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22:  £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally; and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like  Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor  Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute  international news, in-depth analysis and features.  

BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram |

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Charlotte, NC (Thursday, September 18, 2025) — Norton, a leading Cyber Safety brand of Gen™, joined the Digital Citizenship Initiative by Discovery Education. The Digital Citizenship Initiative is a dynamic partnership powered by Discovery Education with corporations and non-profit organizations providing students with strategies and resources to navigate their online lives safely. Discovery Education is the creator of essential PreK-12 learning solutions used in classrooms around the world.

As part of the Initiative, Norton will soon offer free standards-aligned classroom resources supporting safe student engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Launching in Q4, the new suite of videos and classroom activities will help students and educators learn how to safely and responsibly use AI. This commitment builds on Norton’s efforts in the digital citizenship space, including through My Digital Life with Discovery Education. The My Digital Life resource center offers free standards-aligned resources designed to empower students with the digital citizenship skills they need to navigate their online lives securely, confidently, and responsibly. In just two years, My Digital Life has reached nearly 415,000 students by helping educators bring digital safety skills into the classroom.

“AI is reshaping how children learn, connect, and express themselves online,” said Kim Allman, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Public Policy, for Norton. “Research shows that 2 in 5 children in the United States are turning to AI for companionship and that many parents find that concerning, underscoring the need for thoughtful guidance and digital literacy skills at home and school.”

The Digital Citizenship Initiative grew out of needs summarized in a recent white paper entitled Risks and Resilience: Why Digital Citizenship Matters in K12 Education. This study illuminated many of the issues facing today’s students, including cyberbullying, online privacy, and digital footprints. This year’s Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report on Connected Kids found that nearly one in four U.S. kids experience cyberbullying and over a quarter turn to AI for emotional support, underscoring the need for guidance around safe online interactions and AI use. Furthermore, the Education Insights 2025–2026: Fueling Learning Through Engagement report showed that while two-thirds of students believe AI can help them learn faster, fewer than half of teachers reporting AI use themselves.

Digital Citizenship Initiative partners also include Verizon and Fortinet. Each partner contributes expert insights to develop standards-aligned digital resources. Resources include ready-to-use materials, digital lessons, the DEMystified series videos, and instructional materials spanning disciplines such as science, health, social studies, and English language arts. Educators can expect quarterly content releases covering a range of topics that address digital citizenship.

To access the Digital Citizenship Initiative resources, please visit digitalcitizenship.discoveryeducation.com. Educators with access to Discovery Education Experience can find these resources on the Digital Citizenship channel.

“Norton has strong experience in both AI technologies and digital literacy. We’re proud to partner with Norton on the Digital Citizenship Initiative,” said Catherine Dunlop, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. “Together, we believe that engaging students in responsible AI use and digital literacy is essential to building a safer digital future.”

To learn more about the risks and opportunities of AI to enjoy a safer, more convenient digital experience, visit Norton’s blog.

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.  

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Portland, ME — Sept. 17, 2025 — BW Walch announced today that its OGAP (Ongoing Assessment Project) Professional Learning program has been rated the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Tier I: Strong Evidence rating by Evidence for ESSA. This recognition places OGAP among a select group of K–8 math professional learning programs nationwide that meet the highest federal standard for research-based impact.

“At a time when closing math learning gaps is critical, OGAP stands out for its ability to empower teachers with the knowledge, tools, and routines they need to strengthen instruction and accelerate student learning,” said Division Manager OGAP Math, Jessica Jeffers. “Unlike dashboards or benchmark tests, OGAP is professional learning that builds teacher expertise in both mathematics content and pedagogy.”

The randomized controlled trial, conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) at the University of Pennsylvania and funded by the National Science Foundation, evaluated OGAP’s implementation in Grades 3–5 across 61 schools in the School District of Philadelphia. Published in the American Journal of Educationand reviewed by Evidence for ESSA, the study included an analytic sample of 3,488 students and found that OGAP achieved an average effect size of +0.20. Results showed:

• Students in OGAP schools significantly outperformed peers in control schools on Pennsylvania’s standardized math test (PSSA).
• Teachers using OGAP demonstrated stronger knowledge of student mathematical thinking, as measured by the Teacher Assessment of Student Knowledge.
• OGAP is the only professional learning system for K-5 to earn an ESSA Tier I: Strong rating, and it achieved the highest effect size of all professional learning programs across K-8

By strengthening reasoning across the four OGAP strands — additive, multiplicative, fractional, and proportional — teachers gain a clearer view of how today’s lessons connect to tomorrow’s demands. This vertical alignment helps districts reduce the risk of students struggling in Algebra.

“OGAP gives teachers more than tools; it builds deep expertise in both math content and pedagogy, so they can see inside student reasoning and respond with precision,” said Jeffers. “This ESSA Strong Evidence rating validates what districts tell us every day: OGAP doesn’t just improve instruction now, it strengthens the K–8 foundation so more students are ready for Algebra.”

Unlike a curriculum, OGAP is professional development that equips teachers to make more effective use of their current instructional materials. Training includes summer institutes, ongoing PLCs, coaching, and access to tools such as learning progressions and an item bank of hundreds of diagnostic probes that give teachers evidence from student work to identify misconceptions early.

 “This new research confirms that OGAP is transformative for both teachers and students,” concluded Jeffers. “By focusing on learning trajectories and student reasoning, OGAP truly helps educators identify misconceptions earlier and guide students toward stronger mathematical reasoning.”

 For more information on OGAP professional learning, visit www.ogapmathllc.com

About BW Walch
BW Walch is a leading provider of innovative math solutions, including OGAP professional learning and aligned, customized math curriculums, that empower teachers and students to achieve success. With a strong foundation in evidence-based practice and deep expertise in mathematics education, BW Walch supports schools and districts nationwide in building sustainable improvement in teaching and learning. For more information go to: customerservice@bwwalch.com.

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Washington, D.C. (September 15, 2025) – The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and SETDA issued the following statement on the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF). Together, CoSN and SETDA bring state and school district perspectives on why the USF — particularly the E-Rate program — is essential to ensuring every school and library has affordable, high-capacity broadband and other advanced communications services, as envisioned by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The Importance of Broadband for Learning

Secure, high-capacity broadband is as fundamental to today’s schools as textbooks and electricity. Without it, students cannot access the modern learning experiences that define education in the 21st century. As the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan emphasizes, technology enables students to extend learning beyond the classroom, collaborate with peers and experts worldwide, and engage in creative, self-directed, and immersive learning experiences. Without robust and universal broadband access, schools cannot provide the active, technology-enabled learning environments that students deserve, including the responsible and universal use of Artificial Intelligence.

Our organizations remain steadfast in support of the Universal Service principles of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which seek to ensure that all Americans — including those in rural, high-cost and low-income areas, as well as schools, libraries and health care providers — have access to affordable, high-quality, advanced telecommunications services, supported by fair contributions and predictable funding mechanisms.

The Success of E-Rate in Connecting Schools and Libraries

Nearly 30 years after its creation, the bipartisan E-Rate program stands as one of the most effective and enduring federal broadband initiatives. Thanks to E-Rate, nearly all schools and libraries — public and private, urban and rural — are connected to broadband for digital learning.

Key findings from recent surveys underscore its impact:

• Universal Reach: 99% of public school students and 45% of private school students benefit from internet access made possible by E-Rate (2024 E-Rate Funding Applications).
• Vital Support: Over 90% of applicants report that E-Rate is essential to meeting their internet connectivity goals (2024 E-Rate Trends Report).
• Expanded Connectivity: 89% of applicants say they can connect more students and library patrons because of E-Rate (2024 E-Rate Trends Report).
• Critical Reliance: Without E-Rate, 74% of districts would face a major or catastrophic impact on operations — with rural (74%) and city (78%) districts most vulnerable (CoSN 2025 State of EdTech District Leadership report).

The Supreme Court’s recent affirmation of USF’s constitutionality provides stability, but long-term sustainability requires congressional action to ensure fairness in the contribution base and predictability in funding. 

Emerging Challenges: Home Access and Cybersecurity

When Congress enacted the Telecommunications Act of 1996, it recognized that “universal service is an evolving level of telecommunications services” (Telcom Act, Sec.254(c)). While E-Rate has been enormously successful, today’s connectivity needs have expanded. Two areas demand particular attention:

Home Connectivity Gaps

• Only 7% of school districts report that all students have adequate home internet for learning (CoSN 2025 State of EdTech District Leadership report).
• 64% of E-Rate applicants cite inadequate home internet as a significant issue in their communities (2024 E-Rate Trends Report).
• State education agency investment in broadband has declined by 11 percentage points from 2024 to 2025 (SETDA 2025 Stated EdTech Trends Report).
• Nearly 70% of applicants would seek hotspot funding if eligible under E-Rate (2024 E-Rate Trends Report).

Cybersecurity Threats

• Since 2017, more than 95% of applicants have urged that network security and management tools be eligible for E-Rate (2024 E-Rate Trends Report).
• The FCC’s $200 million Cybersecurity Pilot is a major step forward, but its limited scope cannot meet the magnitude of need.
• Districts are already straining budgets: 61% rely on general funds for cybersecurity, while 78% spend on monitoring/detection tools rather than comprehensive protections (CoSN 2025 State of EdTech District Leadership report).
• State investment in cybersecurity risk mitigation for schools has declined significantly — more than doubling the percentage of leaders reporting very little state support between 2024 and 2025 (SETDA 2025 State EdTech Trends Report).

Recommendations for the USF Working Group

To preserve E-Rate’s legacy while adapting to today’s challenges, SETDA and CoSN respectfully recommend Congress and the USF Working Group to:

1. Reaffirm Congressional Commitment to E-Rate: Recognize E-Rate’s unparalleled role in fulfilling the universal service mandate for schools and libraries.
2. Modernize to Address Cybersecurity: Expand E-Rate’s eligible services to cover a range of cybersecurity protections such as next-generation firewalls, endpoint security and filtering — services that districts consistently identify as priorities (2024 E-Rate Trends Report). The working group should evaluate outcomes of the E-Rate Cybersecurity Pilot program to determine how federal agencies can continue supporting this issue after the pilot’s conclusion, especially in light of recent unilateral administration cuts to CISA’s support for schools, including MS-ISAC.
3. Support Sustainable Home Connectivity: Coordinate E-Rate with the High-Cost program and BEAD to address persistent home access gaps and meet community broadband needs. We encourage the working group to make clear that “classrooms” are any location where a student is learning, including designating mobile hot spots, bus Wi-Fi and other off-campus connection strategies as eligible E-Rate services, and to work with the Department of Commerce, the FCC and other agencies to speed deployment of other broadband connectivity funds.
4. Ensure Long-Term USF Sustainability: Broaden the existing USF structure’s contribution base to stabilize funding and maintain the program’s independence from the annual appropriations process, while continuing its strong accountability and transparency (CoSN/SETDA Principles Statement). 

These recommendations are grounded in SETDA’s Universal Connectivity Imperative, which sets five goals to ensure every student has the access, devices, skills and protections they need to thrive in today’s modern society. They are reinforced by CoSN’s commitment to equipping district technology leaders with the professional development, knowledge and community needed to put these goals into practice at the local level. By modernizing E-Rate and strengthening the Universal Service Fund, Congress can deliver on this shared imperative: sustaining the progress schools have made, closing persistent gaps in home connectivity, protecting students and educators from cyber threats, and ensuring that universal access remains both fair and sustainable for the future.

E-Rate has transformed U.S. education by connecting nearly every school and library to the internet. But progress is fragile. Cybersecurity threats are accelerating, state broadband funding is declining and millions of students remain without adequate home access.

We urge the Senate USF Working Group to reaffirm bipartisan support for E-Rate and modernize it to meet today’s realities. By sustaining and strengthening E-Rate and the broader USF programs, Congress can ensure that every student, regardless of geography or income, has access to the digital tools and opportunities they need to succeed.

To learn more about CoSN’s advocacy efforts, visit: https://www.cosn.org/advocacy-policy/

About CoSN

CoSN, the world-class professional association for K-12 EdTech leaders, stands at the forefront of education innovation. We are driven by a mission to equip current and aspiring K-12 education technology leaders, their teams, and school districts with the community, knowledge, and professional development they need to cultivate engaging learning environments. Our vision is rooted in a future where every learner reaches their unique potential, guided by our community. CoSN represents over 13 million students and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. www.cosn.org/

About SETDA

SETDA is the principal membership organization serving edtech and digital learning leaders from every U.S. state and territorial education agency. Since 2001, SETDA has supported state education agencies in leveraging technology to strengthen teaching, learning, and school operations—contributing to sustained impact across the education landscape. Through cross-sector partnerships, professional development, and advocacy at the federal level, SETDA works to ensure every student has access to high-quality digital learning opportunities. www.setda.org/

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