New Grant to Help Schools Close the Homework Gap

The Homework Gap Grant is now closed. Thank you to all those that submitted applications. We are currently reviewing entries and will notify winners by August 31, 2017.

The Homework Gap

The use of online tools, collateral, and multimedia has become commonplace in every type curriculum and across every grade level. Educators are quickly incorporating digital learning into classroom pedagogy because they understand the power these resources bring to the learning experience.

Today’s students are technologically savvy and easily embrace digital learning. In fact, a recent study shows that more than seventy percent of students in grades K through 12 think every student should have access to a mobile device during the school day to embrace learning. Additionally, thirty percent of high school students use the Internet on a daily basis to complete their studies according to the FCC.

As districts and schools continue to expand their digital learning, 1:1, and BYOD programs, it often creates an unintended digital divide or Homework Gap between those students with adequate, off campus, access to the Internet and those students who lack access.

Within every district, there are hundreds, or even thousands, of students who do not have Internet access once they leave the classroom. Nationwide, 5 million households with school-age children lack Internet access at home.

Low-income students feel the impact of the Homework Gap far more than their more affluent classmates. On average, one-third of U.S. students do not have adequate Internet access when they leave school; in many urban districts, that number can reach as high as 80 percent. Ultimately, this disadvantaged position jeopardizes the student’s performance, grades, and even graduation rates.

Kajeet helps students succeed by providing more than just Internet outside of school. Our innovative solution provides safe, mobile broadband Internet to close the Homework Gap. As educators increase technology in the classroom for learning, Education Broadband™ keeps students connected either at home or on the bus with CIPA-compliant filters and provides administrators a reporting dashboard to gain insight into student usage.

Providing More than Just Internet™

We understand that many times it’s important for districts to pilot a program before rolling it out to an entire grade or district. Our team will help guide you through the launch process by helping set success metrics so when the program concludes your team has the numbers to justify the need.

As a recipient of this grant your team will receive one of the following:

• 10 Kajeet SmartSpot® devices with 10 months of Kajeet Managed Education Broadband at 500MB per day OR
• one (1) Kajeet SmartBus™ solution with 10 months of service at 5GB per month.

As part of the grant, the three awardees will receive filtered Internet and access to the Sentinel® cloud portal to manage devices and receive data utilization reports. We will work with the school districts through the launch process, helping set success metrics, and collecting and analyzing data from those students benefiting from Education Broadband.

First Time Applying to a Grant? 

Don’t worry. We have created a list of handy grant writing tips that can be applied to this grant or any future education grants.

It’s important to collect all the necessary pieces of information before you start writing the grant application. We suggest:

• Start with your project and the goal. Know exactly what your school aims to achieve with additional funding.
• Develop a clear, concise plan for your project. The plan should include: background, needs assessment, goals, objectives, timeline, required resources, and total cost.
• Get buy-in from your administrative team BEFORE you apply for funding. In the long term, having someone to champion your project or liaison with the administration and School Board will benefit your team.

Tips for the Homework Gap Grant

Winners will be selected based on the district or school’s current technology program (goals, expectations, and plans for expansion, parent/student involvement) and the determined need for connectivity. The winners must illustrate plans for a comprehensive program with goals and metrics in place that will show success after 10 months. 

Applicants must identify the following: 

• Describe your school or district's digital learning program(s). Please include the following: mission, significant milestones and key accomplishments, and overall goals. 
• Describe the overall digital learning results your school or district hopes to achieve over the next three years.
• Explain how the student population and parents will be involved in the digital learning efforts of your school or district, and/or how feedback will be collected and incorporated into the project design.
• Describe the results your school or district hopes to achieve during the deployment period and how you will measure your success. 
• Identify the school or district contact staff who will champion this program.
• Describe how Internet access outside the classroom is integral to your school or district’s current (or future) digital learning program.
• Describe your district’s greatest challenge in terms of connectivity outside the classroom.
• Determine how many students are without Internet access at home, how those students are identified, and plans for distributing devices to students. 

FAQ

Q: When is the application due? And when will the winners be announced?

A: The application is due by Aug. 11, 2017. The three winners will be announced on Aug. 31, 2017.

Q: Who is eligible to apply?

A: Any U.S. school or school district, including charter and virtual, operating in the K-12 space are eligible.

Q: I’m currently a Kajeet customer, can I apply?

A: This grant is not open to current Kajeet customers. The goal of this grant is to help additional schools or districts pilot a program that can help connect their low-income students.

Q: I’m not a U.S. public or private K-12 school, but I also help low-income students. Can I still apply?

A: Since this is the first ever Kajeet Homework Gap Grant we’re focusing on solely aiding schools and school districts at this time.

Q: Where can I find additional information?

A: All grant information, including the criteria, is available here: http://www.kajeet.net/homework-gap-grant.

Now that you have all the information, what are you waiting for? Apply today and help all students in your school or district succeed.