
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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"If we can put electricity in every home, we can do the same today with broadband." - Missouri @GovParsonMO Like… https://t.co/CRrr5RYIXj
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.@Benton_Inst recently published suggestions for state leaders to consider when envisioning a digitally equitable s… https://t.co/LhB3QOjLjS
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Eligible households receive - a $30 monthly discount off high-speed home internet, or $75 monthly on Tribal lands -… https://t.co/ifxAGMWOa2
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Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, June 27 at 1 pm CST/2 pm EST to learn how upcoming funding opportunities can help… https://t.co/ZnKG4v8t3p
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Today, federal, state, and local leaders came together to announce the launch of the Your Home, Your Internet progr… https://t.co/D09gydO73x
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Every state has examples of cities leading the way increasing #AffordableConnectivityProgram adoption rates. See wh… https://t.co/whAHb8J0KY
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New York State announces $100M in federal funding aimed at expanding connectivity to 100,000 households statewide.… https://t.co/KfOrbWXmWe
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Recommendations for Supporting ACP Enrollment: #3 In-Person Support. 15-20% of applicants require in-person suppor… https://t.co/JBFAgDciex
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Congrats to our partners in Baltimore on launching their ACP awareness campaign! They are rolling out information a… https://t.co/z4sL3GZfU4
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Congrats to Georgia and Rhode Island for launching ACP Act Now campaigns! We are proud to partner with state leader… https://t.co/3Q4OUOGiW5
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37.9M households eligible for $30/month through the #AffordableConnectivityProgram are in areas where an ISP offers… https://t.co/HF7vHG7hBN
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RT @SHLBCoalition: 📢 WEBINAR ALERT 📢 Join us on May 24, 2023, 1-2 pm ET to explore The Role of Anchors in ACP Enrollment. Hear from exper…
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Imagine every individual in the U.S. having equitable access to support resources and telehealth services. That isn… https://t.co/LiIwL0TRBv
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Key Recommendations for Supporting ACP Enrollment: #2 Virtual Support. The availability of real-time support, eit… https://t.co/TBAnifNBxq
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Thousands have used https://t.co/TrfnCpvbre to see if they qualify for $30/month off high-speed internet through th… https://t.co/fR4hYP79LN
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Did you know EducationSuperHighway was originally founded in 2012 to close the classroom connectivity gap that kept… https://t.co/jMjCd1jvxQ
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RT @MariaForCF: No HOME left Offline is our mission with @EdSuperHighway. With our grassroots efforts we’ve been able to sign up 74% of eli…
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Glad to have the support of New Jersey @GovMurphy to expand #AffordableConnectivityProgram enrollment and "ensure t… https://t.co/BdqzRtCjzE
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Recommendations for Supporting ACP Enrollment: #1 Technology. With 97% of Americans owning a mobile phone, a mobil… https://t.co/9awvTwmFDs
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This Mother's Day, help the busy moms in your community learn about the #AffordableConnectivityProgram. Working fro… https://t.co/3WHCQFm0Bz