Detroit-area students attending their eighth-grade ceremony Thursday learned that they all are guaranteed admission to Grand Valley State University following high school graduation.
Thousands of Michigan students will get free WiFi hotspots and internet for remote learning
Updated Apr 11, 2021;
Posted Apr 11, 2021
Thousands of Michigan students will receive free Wi-Fi hotspots and internet access to help with learning from home thanks to a donation by AT&T and nonprofit Connected Nation. (MLive file photo)
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KENT COUNTY, MI - Kevin Polston has seen firsthand the digital divide in K-12 education that was exposed by the coronavirus pandemic in Michigan and across the country.
As superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools – a district where 95% of students come from economically disadvantaged families, and 6% of families are homeless – Polston knows access to reliable internet is not a guarantee for all Michigan students, particularly in urban and rural communities.
In total, 35,000 hotspots will be given to programs that help at-risk students across the country. Author: 13 ON YOUR SIDE Staff Published: 1:30 PM EDT April 5, 2021 Updated: 1:30 PM EDT April 5, 2021
LANSING, Mich Connected Nation Michigan announced Monday that 13 schools and nonprofits across the state will soon receive mobile hotspots and internet connectivity to serve more than 4,100 at-risk students.
The recipients are part of the more than 100 organizations and school districts that will benefit from a $10 million commitment by AT&T first announced last year to provide free internet subscriptions and wireless hotspots to 35,000 vulnerable students across the country.
“What makes this program so critical is that it seeks to help students who have been disproportionately disconnected from formal learning opportunities due to COVID-19,” said Tom Ferree, Chairman & CEO, Connected Nation.
Credit Beenish Ahmed / Michigan Radio
Nealmetria Loper spends much of her day “in” third grade, watching remote lessons over the shoulder of one of her daughters to make sure she’s following along on lessons. The mother of four is also just a shout away if her other daughters run into tech issues or come across directions they don’t quite understand.
“It s been really hard just because it s four children in four different grades, so they re in four different spaces,” she said. “Plus myself because I work. So I m the fifth person on this Wi-Fi that I can barely afford.”