Through action research, school districts have discovered that having access to a high-speed home Internet connection can result in one to two years of academic performance in reading and mathematics for students over those students who do not have such access.
Maine Township High School District 207 has been a leader in acting on this information and working to ensure that all students have access to a robust Internet connection at home. Maine 207 was one of Sprint’s first partners for its ConnectEd program, which provided hotspots to students. These hotspots cost $100 for the District to purchase, and the costs were underwritten with donations from staff members and community members. Students in need of a hotspot for WiFi Internet access at home should see their Counselor.
Additionally, many families that qualify take advantage of programs like Internet Essentials from Comcast or Access from AT&T.
Update March 14, 2020: In response to COVID-19, Comcast has agreed to open its Xfinity WiFi hotspot network to the public. They are also offering two free months of Internet Essentials to qualifying new customers. See the Comcast press release on COVID-19 for more information.