Home broadband adoption and student achievement

Scenes from an initial examination of households in rural Florida, USA

Abstract

The United States‟ broadband network is old, slow, and sparse. Federal investments to extend robust networks to rural areas parallel the U.S. Department of Education‟s emphasis on improving rural education and technology. Many rural schools received upgraded networks with federal monies, but home broadband is essential for maintaining the home-school learning connection in the face of impending digital textbook adoptions. Despite home broadband growth nationwide, rural residents have lower rates of adoption due to a lack of perceived need. A secondary analysis of home connectivity and middle grades student achievement suggested that students without broadband were also in districts with low student achievement. A lack of home broadband, then, can be possibly detrimental for rural children and further research is imperative.