FCC is Offering $200 Million To Protect Schools and Libraries From Hackers 34
The Federal Communications Commission is making up to $200 million available to help schools and libraries make their computer systems more secure. From a report: The Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will be used to evaluate whether to fund this kind of program on a more permanent basis. The funding will come through a pool of money called the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is made up of contributions from telecommunications companies. Schools and libraries participating in the program will be able to reimburse things like advanced firewalls, identity protection and authentication services, malware protection, and VPNs.
When? (Score:5, Insightful)
Is this like the $42 billion "for rural broadband" they gave AT&T and Verizon who hasn't bothered to connect even one rural person?
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Considering the amount of money thrown at private industry to get broadband in this country up to speed, we should all have 500 Mbps for less than $100/month and our choice of providers.
Re: When? (Score:2)
Well, it's less than 1% of the Verizon program, so size-wise it's not comparable.
This is money that will reimburse items schools and libraries buy from various companies, rather than a block grant to one vendor, again, not comparable.
So no, it's nothing like the $42BN we gave Verizon.
Sure, I'll take that money (Score:1)
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Something needs to change for sure. Schools have been going downhill since "no child left behind". The quality has likely been dropping for a much longer period of time, but I can only speak to the scope of time I've been paying attention.
When you had unqualified jackasses like Besty DeVos, who had an agenda other than educating kids in charge of the DoE, what can you expect?
When you've had nutty ideas like the so-called 'whole language' approach to teaching kids to read being given creedence instead of continuing to teach phonics, what did you expect?
When you have our so-called 'conservatives' screaming 'socialism!!!' about making sure kids get at least one decent meal a day by providing school lunches, what did you think would happen?
Wh
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When you had unqualified jackasses like Besty DeVos, who had an agenda other than educating kids in charge of the DoE, what can you expect? When you've had nutty ideas like the so-called 'whole language' approach to teaching kids to read being given creedence instead of continuing to teach phonics, what did you expect? When you have our so-called 'conservatives' screaming 'socialism!!!' about making sure kids get at least one decent meal a day by providing school lunches, what did you think would happen? When you say 'no child left behind', as you point out, yet you allow them to shove rote learning down kids' throats instead of actually teaching them, just so they can pass standardized tests, and it's all really about getting federal tax money given to them so they can build sports programs and other non-essential nonsense, how did anyone think that would go? Last but not least, when teachers are paid so little for their efforts that some decide to go be bartenders and make dramatically more money, and the only teachers that schools can afford to pay are the literal bottom of the barrel, why would anyone think that kids are going to get a decent education from someone who doesn't give a shit? Yes, Timmy, the public school system is a mess. It needs to be fixed, and that doesn't mean siphoning off tax money into bullshit 'vouchers' that end up getting spent on religious schools that give an """education""" biased against science and real truths and towards superstitious nonsense and 'white nationalism'.
I agree with the vast majority of your statements (the statement I don't agree with is understandable when you have people with different perspectives). The teachers being underpaid is a major problem along with the curriculum angled towards passing standardized tests.
Slightly unrelated but a sister-in-law in Oklahoma working in a middle school library had a kid tell her another teacher was making sexual advances on him. She turned the teacher in and it's being investigated, but too many of these stories ex
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Also worth noting that teenage boys are more animal than some others, if you know what I mean, I ought to know having been one myself.
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Also worth noting that teenage boys are more animal than some others, if you know what I mean, I ought to know having been one myself. ;-)
lol, for sure! I have two sons in addition to my daughter. The boys are 10 and 7. I'm not looking forward to their teenage years.
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18 year teacher here (2000 to 2018). You sir are spot on! Mod this up!
Re: Need Cash! Here Is Some Fear! (Score:2)
A couple note:
When you have our so-called 'conservatives' screaming 'socialism!!!' about making sure kids get at least one decent meal a day by providing school lunches, what did you think would happen?
Please, when did "conservative" vote to not feed children?
Schools currently offer free breakfast, free lunch, and free take-home bags of food for dinner, and in many places offer free meals during school holidays (including summer).
On the off-chance you can find an example of someone that voted against EXPANDING the 'school lunch program' beyond its current offerings, I contend that does not qualify as refusing to feed children.
When you say 'no child left behind', as you point out, yet you allow them to shove rote learning down kids' throats instead of actually teaching them, just so they can pass standardized tests, and it's all really about getting federal tax money given to them so they can build sports programs and other non-essential nonsense, how did anyone think that would go?
You appear to be against "teaching to the exam", and that's reason
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I take exact opposite position; no private schools and homeschooling except for very, very special circumstances. Germany and Sweden for example ban homeschooling.
Are we (trying to be) a meritocracy or not? Can't say yes and then offer better education behind a paywall, not very meritocratic is it?
#1 focus if public schools are lagging is to improve the public schools, anything else is distraction. I think pretty much all the founders believed in public education, even Jefferson and Adams agreed upon it,
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I think you still need schools based on accelerated programs for students that would benefit from them. At my daughter's middle school, the accelerated programs were crap. They only did it for "social studies" classes. Absolutely pointless. She's home schooled now and
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made it into a private school based on merit
That's great but that isn't a law that private school must accept poor students, see Adam's specifically calling out "chairtable individuals", its a definite moral hazard. Fact is the school is private so they could (and most do) take a "can't pay, can't attend" policy. My parents sent me to a Catholic school for 1-8. If they didn't make tuition I would have gotten the boot.
At my daughter's middle school, the accelerated programs were crap
That's a problem and the actual problem. Private schooling isn't helping that problem, if anything it makes it worse.
If we want to
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Exceptions and anecdotes don't make an argument.
I'm happy to hear anyone's experiences. Each exception and anecdote added to the discussion gives a clearer example of what is going on with real people under these circumstances. Your anecdotes are just as helpful. You're absolutely right that many parents aren't equipped for the job of schooling their own kids. I'm lucky that my wife was previously a police officer and a teacher. I'm also lucky that we earn enough for her to stay home and not have to get a paying job just so we can meet our families needs
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...homeschooled kids who found out the hard way later in life they didn't actually have the fundamentals they were told they had.
I can give you nonstop anecdotes of public school graduates (some with Honors) in the exact same position.
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How is private school making it worse? You are still paying taxes to support the failing public system and then you are paying, post taxation, more to send your kid to a private school so they hopefully have better opportunities. If I were a parent and could work out the monthly tuition for private school, of course I would do that for my kid.
Want to help fix public schools? Mandate that states must provide equal funding per child. The easiest way to do this would be to take all funding, pool it at state le
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No, we are not trying to be a meritocracy. Not in the least in fact. When kids can't be failed because of their self esteem, you left meritocracy at the door. When kids (and parents) can bitch and complain and actually get a grade bump, you left meritocracy at the door. When high grades translates to more money for the educational institution, you've left meritocracy at the door.
When you have shit like DEI, you clearly have stopped caring about hiring the most qualified person for the job and instead of try
Re: Need Cash! Here Is Some Fear! (Score:2)
You understand the 'state' doesn't offer homeschooling or private schools, right?
To homeschool is a huge commitment by the family, at almost no cost to the school district, while the parent pay the same school taxes as those families that have children in public school.
To send a child to private school is a tremendous financial commitment for the students family - and as a reminder, the family can not deduct the tuition from their taxes, and again they pay the same school taxes as a family that sends their
Universal Service Fund (Score:5, Insightful)
This fund is from fees collected by the Telcos from their customers. It is not, as the summary stated, "made up of contributions from telecommunications companies"
Re: Universal Service Fund (Score:1)
Re: Universal Service Fund (Score:2)
You may want to educate yourself on how the Universal Service Fund is funded - it isn't a line item in the federal budget, the money is collected as a fee, based on phone services a customer buys.
Weird pitch ... (Score:2)
FCC is Offering $200 Million To Protect Schools and Libraries From Hackers
Sounds like a good, steady, well-paying job for hackers ... :-)
How much does common sense cost? (Score:2)
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I recall when I was in high school, our computer labs were pretty locked down. We used Norton Ghost, so you always booted from an image. All the required software was always available. Viruses weren't an issue because you restarted, and you booted from a clean slate.
As you say, cybersecurity is mostly a people problem. Security versus availability. Make something to secure, and people either won't use it or will find ways around it.
You are 100% correct in your post though. This sounds more like a way to fu
Overstepping. (Score:2)
The IT sector has become the new administration bloat, school administration departments became so bloated they need more administration just to manage the administration department. IT is just another layer that now is self-feeding on expenses just like administrations did a few decades back.
Someday schools will become focused on teaching children again,
I wasn't aware Linux licenses cost that much (Score:2)
You want to protect schools and libraries from hackers? Just ditch Windows and install Linux. That will get you 3/4th of the way there.
Which raises the question: what does $200m pay for?
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I'm still confused why every device can't just boot from an image or have an application whitelist and all user files not kept on a centralized server that can be locked down. It's far easier to secure a handful of servers then 1000s of individual devices. The end user doesn't need to install software and this would also prevent viruses as well.
Seriously, if someone could provide feedback on why my idea wouldn't work, I would be grateful for the information from people that really know about this from perso
The bad thing (Score:2)
From what? There shouldn't be anything personal on the student network.
I thought US schools out-source nowadays, there will be little data (everyday stuff for teachers and students: timetables/rosters, attendance/hours worked) kept on the internal network. Education-sector CMS such as Connexus/Pearson online, means the physical school is a cubicle farm for 'workers': The good thing, one can move schools and the grades/textbooks are used at the next school. The bad thing, a private business owns a rec
You can't fix stupid (Score:2)
Are most schools and libraries valuable enough targets to attract the attention of profit-oriented malicious hackers? Aside from teaching staff and students basic security, how will they spend $200 million?
Perhaps the money would be better spent protecting libraries and schools from shooters rather than hackers.