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Small Schools: Big Impact
Small Schools: Big Impact
Why Technology is Critical for Small Schools and Colleges
In education institutions around the world, smaller classroom sizes have long been correlated with increased effectiveness and impact – particularly in primary schools. Small schools and colleges are a force to be reckoned with: not only do they provide learning experiences for students, but they also have critical social and cultural implications in their surrounding communities.
In a 2019 article on small, rural schools in Nordic countries, Gunilla Karlberg-Granlund called the small school the “heart of the village.”
However, these small schools face a unique set of challenges: limited resources, budgetary constraints, smaller staff size, enrollment crises, connectivity and bandwidth shortages, and a heavy reliance on teachers and administrators to juggle multiple roles.
Technology and digitization can make all the difference in these small schools, districts, and colleges, but several headwinds can make forward momentum difficult.
For example, in the UK and Ireland, 80% of educators say technology can help them to improve engagement in their classrooms. However, 81% of IT managers say there isn’t enough money to invest in education technology, commonly referred to as EdTech, in schools. In the United States, 15% of families with children in school do not have high-speed internet at home, with that percentage more than doubling among households with an annual income below $30,000 US Dollars a year.
Some facts remain true no matter where, or how big, your school is. The network is critical. Budgets are shrinking. Technology is becoming more and more pervasive – whether you are attending a small elementary school in rural Kansas, a small primary school in London, or a small college in Japan.
Tech Check can help implement new technologies into education facilities of any size and can manage a network to make sure students are getting the proper education they need.