Dive Brief:

• The White House has released a fact sheet about the ConnectEd initiative and how many students it has reached, but the amount of software and devices donated so far doesn’t seem to reach the $100-million-plus commitments by companies.
• EdSurge reports Adobe delivered creativity and e-learning software to more than 1,450 schools, but it would have had to donate an average of $200,000 at each school to hit its $300-million promise; and while Apple offered iPads and other hardware to 114 schools, it would have had to give nearly $1 million to each school to meet its $100-million pledge.
• The White House had a goal of getting 99% of the nation’s students connected to broadband by 2018 and Jeff Zients, director of the National Economic Council and assistant to the president for economic policy, said more than 20 million students have been connected and the goal is within reach.

Dive Insight:

The ConnectED initiative has been an important public-private partnership, getting more resources to U.S. schools than tax dollars would otherwise be able to fund. Much of the campaign has focused on helping disadvantaged schools get more, offering a way to catch up to schools with higher local tax bases or especially active fundraising groups that can supplement traditional funding streams.

Beyond ConnectED, the Obama administration has championed open educational resources, grant funding and flexibility for innovative schools, data privacy and security, and the E-Rate program. Under Obama, districts have had access to a far larger pot of money through E-Rate and the application process has been streamlined, though it still creates barriers.