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ERIC Number: ED599465
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
State K-12 Broadband Leadership 2019: Kentucky Case Study
State Educational Technology Directors Association
The 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) created the Kentucky Education Technology System (KETS) authorizing the Office of Education Technology (OET) within the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to provide internet access to all school districts. One of the key components included in the legislation was the development of a technology masterplan, typically covering 6 years. The Master Plan for Education Technology guides decisions about network infrastructure and future bandwidth needs and provides technology leadership and guidance. Currently, guided by the technology masterplan, OET uses state funds to purchase and manage the statewide K-12 private middle mile network and internet access on behalf of all school districts. This case study finds that Kentucky was one of the first states to adopt the FCC standard of 100 mbps/1000 students at minimum. The state provides bandwidth to districts and schools in an equitable, efficient and cost effective manner. Kentucky works with district leaders to provide the amount of bandwidth a district needs to achieve their instructional goals. Not all district are implementing digital learning at the same pace, so connectivity needs may differ. State technology leaders focus on statewide technology services, such as Internet access and security; allowing district technology officers to focus on the specific technology needs of their schools. OET carefully monitors district bandwidth usage throughout the year, as well as 10 "bandwidth drivers" in order to forecast growth and file for E-Rate as a statewide consortium. With the support of OET field staff, KDE and school districts filed for a record $52M in E-Rate funds for FY2020. This study briefly touches on Kentucky's statewide K-12 education broadband network, policy/guidance for districts, district implementation, off campus access, and future plans. [This case study is part of the larger report, "State K-12 Broadband Leadership 2019: Driving Connectivity, Access and Student Success" (ED594505).]
State Educational Technology Directors Association. P.O. Box 10, Glen Burnie, MD 21060. Tel: 410-757-3342; e-mail: setda@setda.org; Web site: http://www.setda.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA)
Identifiers - Location: Kentucky
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A