Communications of the ACM
U.s. Schools Need More STEM Training, Better Broadband
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan supports the Obama Administration's goals of providing faster broadband connections to schools, and more science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) training.
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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently reaffirmed the Obama administration's call for faster broadband connections in schools along with greater concentration on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) training, through projects such as the White House's ConnectED initiative.
Although the administration estimates that the average school has an Internet connection equal to the typical U.S. household, it provides service to 200 times as many users, and less than one-fifth of teachers rate their school's online link as satisfactory.
The five-year ConnectED project aims to connect 99 percent of U.S. schools and libraries to high-speed broadband, and the White House is asking the Federal Communications Commission to lead the effort to increase broadband services at schools and libraries to at least 100 Mbps, with a goal of 1 Gbps. Duncan says ensuring that all students have access to super-fast broadband services will help the country maintain its global lead in innovation.
Meanwhile, the White House's Educate to Innovate program has so far raised more than $700 million in funding through private-public partnerships to encourage STEM education, as well as growing the ranks of STEM educators by 100,000 over 10 years.
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