
EducationSuperHighway 2.0
Model & Strategy
EducationSuperHighway is a national nonprofit founded in 2012 with the mission of upgrading Internet access in every public school classroom in America. In 2013, only 10% of students had access to digital learning in their classrooms. Today, thanks to an unprecedented bi-partisan effort by federal, state, and school district leaders, supported by K-12 advocacy organizations, the classroom connectivity gap is closed – 47 million students are connected, and 99.7% of America’s schools have a high-speed broadband connection. Having completed its mission, ESH was scheduled to sunset in August 2020.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, our nation’s connectivity crisis was laid bare. Without high-speed Internet access at home, families can’t send their children to school, work remotely, access healthcare or job training; and they can’t access the social safety net or critical government services. Approximately 29M households in the United States do not have high-speed broadband. Two-thirds of these households, representing 48M people, are off-line simply because they cannot afford an available Internet connection. This problem, also known as the “broadband affordability gap,” impacts virtually every community in America – urban, suburban, and small-town – and has become one of the primary inhibitors of access to economic security and opportunity. This is a reality centered in our nation’s poorest communities that disproportionately impacts people of color.
To close the classroom connectivity gap, EducationSuperHighway leveraged data to create a finite goal, build widespread commitment from key stakeholders, identify which schools needed to be upgraded, lower the cost of broadband 92%, measure progress, and create accountability. It partnered with 85 governors in all 50 states to drive upgrades and provided technical and procurement support to school districts. This same playbook – leveraging data, partnering with government, and providing implementation support is the strategy the organization is now using to close the digital divide for the 18 million households that have access to the Internet but can’t afford to connect. In the next two years, EducationSuperHighway will focus on America’s most unconnected communities, where more than 25% of people don’t have Internet, to:
- Build a public-private partnership to close the broadband affordability gap.
- Develop a means to identify unconnected households on a recurring basis.
- Help states design their broadband plans for the Treasury Capital Projects Fund and the new initiatives created by the bipartisan infrastructure bill
- Launch demonstration projects and creating playbooks for states, cities, school districts, housing authorities, and other trusted institutions of innovative programs to increase broadband adoption at scale



Evan is the Founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway. In eight years, EducationSuperHighway closed the digital divide in America’s K-12 schools – connecting 99.7% of classrooms. A recipient of the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Visionary of the Year award and a serial entrepreneur, Evan launched companies over the last 30 years in the telecom, software, and hedge fund industries. He is chair of the board of myAgro, a board member at Recidiviz and Direct Relief, and a co-founder of Ignite! Reading, a Zoom-based K-3 reading tutoring program.
IMPACT
43 million more students are connected to high-speed internet access than did in 2013.
99.7% of America’s classrooms now have high-speed broadband capable of supporting robust digital learning.
EducationSuperHighway 2.0 News
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Lessons for Charity Leaders From EducationSuperHighwayEvan Marwell, founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit formed to bring broadband internet to every public school in America by 2020, has some advice…Feb 2019
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Evan Marwell of EducationSuperHighway named Visionary of the Year by The San Francisco ChronicleEvan Marwell, founder of the nonprofit EducationSuperHighway, was named the 2015 Visionary of the Year by The San Francisco Chronicle. He is the first to win…Apr 2016
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EducationSuperHighway: $1.5 Billion Added to E-Rate as FCC Takes Next Step in E-Rate ModernizationIt’s official. Part two of E-rate modernization was voted on December 11th and it was a resounding win for EducationSuperHighway’s reform agenda. The FCC increased…Dec 2014
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Our pre-enrollment tool, https://t.co/TrfnCpvbre can help households determine eligibility, what documents they wil… https://t.co/MCBB7RhW7E
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Shoutout to our partners at @digCLT and @CharMeckSchools for leading the efforts to connect eligible households in… https://t.co/j88WB34ADk
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On-the-ground connections make housing authorities (like our partners @NYCHA, pictured here with ESH team members!)… https://t.co/uhvfOpxtne
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School districts are uniquely positioned to provide qualifying documents for eligible families to use when applying… https://t.co/O9wSfYu9Ph
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Since October 2022, https://t.co/TrfnCpvbre has helped nearly 15,000 people determine if they qualify for free home… https://t.co/we6sJEvUYS
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EducationSuperHighway can provide local leaders with best practices for reaching unconnected households, an underst… https://t.co/YVf4j4IDmP
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High-speed internet allows us to connect to distance learning, online advocacy, community networks, as well as frie… https://t.co/8zYX7VaTL3
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Free, downloadable content to promote the #AffordableConnectivityProgram in your area is now available in 4 NEW LAN… https://t.co/hJyaH26XJw
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Thank you, Ohio @GovMikeDeWine, for your commitment "to ensuring we seize this opportunity to bring digital equity… https://t.co/00BSiOvlFq
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Did you know that applicants will need to provide an email address when applying for the ACP benefit? If the applic… https://t.co/iJeM0vP92R
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Concern about sharing personal information online is a barrier to ACP adoption. Our enrollment assistance tool,… https://t.co/Xu8mvCNQLY
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The final step in our #AffordableConnectivityProgram Adoption Toolkit for Local Leaders is: Activate. Leaders train… https://t.co/WLi7SRRkiV
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Need a quick way to spread the word about the ACP benefit? Use our https://t.co/TrfnCpvbre business cards, availabl… https://t.co/b9wjA1KBRE
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Answer: The term 'broadband affordability gap' refers to the financial gap that keeps nearly 18 million Americans w… https://t.co/FsaRFcga0S
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Step 3 in our ACP Adoption Toolkit for Local Leaders: Promote. Cities, states, and partners activate their channel… https://t.co/doncWfIhKQ
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"At the heart of all that civilization has meant and developed is community." - Martin Luther King, Jr. Internet h… https://t.co/qdu8wIbfFL
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As a trusted leader in your community, you can accelerate Affordable Connectivity Program awareness. Start by downl… https://t.co/jad51i7RDY
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'Like' if you agree with New Mexico Governor Grisham (@Michelle4NM) that high-speed, reliable, and affordable inter… https://t.co/IvGXgUnpFa