Millions of students lack access to technology in the classroom and at home. Without those resources they run the risk of being left behind in a world that grows ever more digital by the day. Moreover, our nation’s ability to be globally competitive, and our economic prospects, will be imperiled if we do not bridge the digital divide and succeed in leveraging the talent of all our young people. Since 2012, the Verizon Foundation has been working to support those students through a transformative program called Verizon Innovative Learning. The program provides free technology, free internet access and hands-on learning experiences to help give under-resourced students the education they deserve. It’s powered by a next-gen, technology-infused curriculum that fundamentally changes the way teachers teach and students learn. These programs transform middle schools with digital technology, immerse young men of color and young women in rural communities in tech and entrepreneurship education and train high school students to put design thinking principles to use in solving real-world business and societal challenges.
By 2021, we aim to:
Reach 3 million students
and provide them with the skills to put them on the path to success in an increasingly tech-dependent job market.
In 2018
Nearly 4,300
V Teamers
volunteered as STEM mentors
Nearly 1.7 million
students
impacted since 2012
We launched the Verizon Innovative Learning schools program in eight schools in 2014, and the initiative has grown steadily in the years since. During the school year that began in 2018, the number of schools that have participated since 2014 reached 100.
67
52,649
4,375
said the program helped them change the way they teach
said the program helped them reach goals they had already set for their classroom and for their teaching
We regularly measure program success by surveying both teachers and students on the impact of the program.*
* Results measured from the 62 schools participating during the 2017-2018 school year.
Two Verizon Innovative Learning programs are designed to address the needs of groups that are significantly underrepresented in STEM fields: young men of color and young women in rural areas.
These programs introduce students to next-gen technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D design and printing and more. Students collaborate on projects that solve for the challenges addressed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Students attend summer immersion on campus at partner community colleges and universities, as well as weekly enrichment sessions year round. Also, they’re connected with mentors and exposed to the career opportunities that STEM, technology and entrepreneurship hold for their futures.
Learn more at verizon.com/inspires.
