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We learned much last spring about what worked best for effective virtual instruction, student engagement and family support. We’ve taken that information and provided additional professional development for teachers and technical support for parents and families. Student attendance and participation are high, and we’re off to a good start.
—Marc Brouillet, Superintendent, Chief Leschi Schools
Challenge
In March 2020, the school district had to quickly convert to remote learning for all students. Its challenges included:
- Scope of project. The Chief Leschi School District covers three counties and includes rural and urban areas
- Rugged terrain. Located by Mount Rainier, WA, the area includes difficult and remote terrain
- Digital divide. Some families lack their own Wi-Fi or have four or more students per household
- Safety considerations. Ensuring the protection of staff, students and families was paramount
- Funding. The school district had to fund remote learning out of pocket until CARES Act grants became available
Solution
Verizon provided hotspots to families without Wi-Fi to help provide a more equitable educational opportunity.
- Verizon’s flexible program allowed the Chief Leschi School District to distribute hotspots when and where they were needed
- Distance Learning devices and tools on 4G LTE, including an unlimited data plan for students without home Wi-Fi, let students participate in remote classes on their schedules as well as watch recorded classes at any time
- Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) filtering helped block harmful content and ensure compliance with CIPA
Outcome
With help from Verizon, the district is able to provide:
- 100% remote learning for all students, with full curricula and regular grading
- Flexibility for teachers to provide instruction from any location on campus
- An example for other school leaders, as the district was invited by the Bureau of Indian Education to present its successful plan nationally to more than 50 tribal schools
50
tribal schools nationwide learned from the success of the Chief Leschi Schools plan.
630
students in grades pre-K
through 12
100%
of students participate in remote learning.
How we built the solution