Dive Brief:

• Ed tech nonprofit Digital Wish has launched a new $4,500 grant program for schools looking to launch 1:1 device programs.
• The grant, which is being administered on a rolling basis, would cover everything from technical support and training to aid in looking for other grants.
• Digital Wish specializes in 1:1 programs and has launched 28 already in schools around the country.

Dive Insight:

Device rollouts can be tricky to pull off for big districts and can prove to be an implementation minefield. Los Angeles Unified School District’s failed 1:1 program provided administrators a lesson in jumping in too quickly with no clear landing site in mind.

But increasingly, districts are looking to take a cautious, thoughtful approach to such programs. That means building teacher buy-in, providing support and training, and laying out clear academic goals beforehand. This grant is supposed to provide an extra level of support for the administrators grappling with that kind of planning and implementation and to test out the feasibility of programs before going all in.

“Our aim is to help schools get started with developing a one-to-one computing program, including the use of a learning management system and electronic student portfolios,” says Digital Wish’s founder Heather Chirtea. “Ideally, we’re looking to help create pilot programs that school leaders can use to evaluate the effectiveness of having a mobile computer for each student.”