This
is the sixth year CoSN has conducted a survey of U.S. K-12 district
connectivity. Formerly known as “CoSN’s E-Rate and Broadband Survey,” the
survey has since expanded to include broader questions about school
infrastructure. As a result, the survey has nearly doubled in size from 31
questions in 2013 to 59 questions this year. While some questions have been
phased out, added questions about the Cloud, data security, interoperability,
and school bus Wi-Fi have resulted in a net-sum gain in questions. The increase
in the number of questions reflects the increased complexity of variables now
commonplace within school districts’ infrastructure.
Thisreport—based on 386 district responses, with one authorized response per
district—will hopefully serve as a valuable resource for starting edtech
conversations with policy and decision-makers and understanding the full range
of infrastructure issues Metropolitan Status As in prior years, suburban
districts comprise the largest segment of respondents at 48% of the total.
Rural districts comprise the next largest segment (39%) of responses.
Twenty-seven
percent (27%) of districts are classified as urban, nationwide. Since 14% of
the respondents to this survey identify as urban, they are under-represented. However,
the relative breakdown of suburban, rural, and urban in the CoSN survey results
has not changed over the years. The year-over-year results reflect a consistent
breakdown.
Enrollments
The
enrollment demographics of this year’s respondents also remain consistent, varying
only slightly between years and within the margin of error. The largest percentage
(41%) of respondents come from small school districts—enrollments less than
2,500—as compared to 42% the prior year and 41% in 2016. Medium size districts,
those with enrollments of 2,500 – 9,999, account for 38% of respondents as
compared to 37% in 2017 and 35% in 2016. This year, districts with enrollments
of 10,000 or more comprise 22% of the total responses, slightly more than the
21% of the prior year and slightly less than the 24% in 2016. While consistent
response rates enable reasonably accurate year-over-year comparisons, the
breakdowns do not fully align with general U.S. demographics. Small districts
comprise 71% of the nation’s school districts, meaning they are
under-represented in the survey results. However, in terms of total U.S.
enrollments, small districts enroll only 16% of all students.
TOP
FINDINGS
1.
Good News: Wi-Fi @ School
Thanks
to the E-rate modernization, which provides funding for Wi-Fi and internal school
network connections, tremendous progress has been made over the past three years.
Districts’ confidence in their wireless networks to support one device (or
more) per student is increasing. A large majority (69%) of respondents report
they are “very confident” in their network’s ability to support one or more
devices per student as compared to the prior year’s 58%. This matters because
student devices are an increasingly important component of learning and
networks must be able to support their use.
2.
Momentum on Broadband @ School
Broadband
to the classroom continues to improve, again due to the focused investment of
E-Rate funding. Ninety-two percent (92%) of districts are meeting the FCC
short-term goal of 100 Mbps per 1,000 students for all their schools. Even more
impressive, this year over a third (35%) of districts achieved the FCC
long-term goal (1 Gbps per 1,000 students) for all schools – up nearly 100%
from last year.
There
was also marked reduction in the cost of Internet access for the majority of
school districts. Three quarters (75%) of districts report paying less than $5
per Mbps for their Internet as compared to 60% the prior year. The majority of
districts are also in the lowest paying bracket for WAN, with 68% paying less
than $5 per Mbps. This matters because districts need robust, affordable
broadband access to enable digital teaching and learning. While there are
several factors driving broadband demand, the number of student devices
continues to be the top driver for three consecutive years.
3.
Not all Schools Have Broadband, Especially in Rural Areas
While
we are making overall progress on broadband, many rural schools lack afford-able
broadband access often due to lack of broadband competition. Rural districts account
for half of all districts with zero or one broadband provider under E-rate Category
1. This matters because rural students are being left behind compared to their urban
and suburban counterparts. Policy makers and educators need to stay focused on
continuing efforts to provide affordable broadband access to all students,
especially in rural communities.
4.
The Homework Gap Persists
Fewer
than 10% of districts report that every student has access to non-shared devices
at home. This matters because digital learning is not limited to the classroom.
Students need access to devices and robust Internet connectivity in school and
at home. Students lacking 1:1 device access at home have more limited learning
opportu-nities and may have difficult completing their homework. That
difficulty puts them at a disadvantage compared to their better-resourced
peers.
5.
Cybersecurity Threats
Cybersecurity
is a top-tier challenge for school district technology leaders, as noted in the
2018 CoSN IT Leadership Survey (March). The majority of districts (52%) say
breach detection is their highest cybersecurity service concern. Despite
concerns about a myriad of network security threats, only 12% of districts have
a dedicated network security person to manage the challenges. This matters
because cybersecurity threats can compromise district operations and student
records. Without adequate staffing, these threats cannot be addressed and
managed adequately and effectively
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