Reporter’s Note
What do you think the role of public schools is in the community? Should public schools provide counseling, mental health or other services to students? The Times Free Press wants to hear from you. Email me at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or call 423-757-6592.
– Meghan
THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION NEWS
Two years ago, Polk County, Tennessee, received funding to provide every middle school student with an iPad and 5GBs of data.
The catch?
Some students in remote areas of Polk County dodn’t have internet access – or even cell service – at home.
These students are among more than 3 million across the country who don’t have access to internet at home, in what some have dubbed the “homework gap.”
This lack of access can have dire consequences for children, according to the Associated Press. Students with home internet consistently score higher in reading, math and science, and the homework gap in many ways mirrors broader educational barriers for poor and minority students.
Here in Hamilton County, only 74.8% of households have access to broadband internet access, which includes data cell service, but in some of the surrounding rural areas as few as 57% of households do.
In Tennessee, overall about 1/4 of students do not have access to internet at home.
Where does your community stack up? Check out the story.
EXTRA CREDIT: In case you missed last week’s Top of the Class project, check out valedictorians from around the Chattanooga region here – some of the stories include a McCallie graduate who has written 115 thank-you notes, a Georgia teen aiming to promote tolerance, and a performing artist who graduated a semester early in order to perform with famous artists such as Janet Jackson.