ODYSSEYWARE

E-rate has made a name for itself in schools with telecommunications funding, especially in rural areas that need access to technology but all too often are consumed by budget needs to purchase computers. E-rate becomes an asset in this manner and can give a much needed boost to technology budgets through the help of federal funding. The problem, however, is that the program is often too onerous to navigate for school administrators who spend much of their day dealing with the day-in, day-out tasks of maintaining order in school to sit down and put pen to paper and apply for funding. According to The Education Week:

Such frustrations have become synonymous with the E-rate. The program is credited with helping most of the nation’s schools move into the Internet age—just 14 percent of K-12 classrooms had access when the program was created in 1996, compared with more than 95 percent today.

But confusion over which services qualify for discounts, the extent of the requirements for addressing Internet safety and access, and a paper trail laborious enough to frighten even the most seasoned of bureaucrats, have hindered plans in some districts to expand the use of digital tools, experts say.

E-rate could certainly use a makeover, especially in the functionality of the website that details the program. Delivering technology to schools and relevant curriculum that can be deployed quickly should be the utmost priority for the program. To learn more about how E-rate can work for your school, feel free to visit the following link: http://www.fcc.gov/learnnet/