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HomeEducationClarksville-Montgomery County School System announces Google Rolling Study Halls

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System announces Google Rolling Study Halls

Clarksville Montgomery County School System (CMCSS)Montgomery County, TN – The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) is excited to announce its Rolling Study Halls pilot program in partnership with Google and the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation.

Rolling Study Halls is a Google-funded initiative that seeks to improve technology access and extend learning to the after-school space. By powering school buses with WiFi and providing educator support, Rolling Study Halls is helping students across the US—especially in rural communities—access more learning hours outside of school.

Google, WiFi technology was installed on six Clarksville-Montgomery County School System school buses.
Google, WiFi technology was installed on six Clarksville-Montgomery County School System school buses.

“We’re so thrilled to bring Rolling Study Halls to The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System,” said Alex Sanchez, a spokesperson for Google. “It’s so important for students in the community to have access to the tools they need to learn both before and after school.”

Through funding and in-kind donations from Google, WiFi technology was installed on six CMCSS school buses and stipend money was allocated for teachers who provide tutoring on-board the buses. The buses that were chosen provide transportation to New Providence Middle School and Northwest High School students in the Woodlawn area.

“Clarksville-Montgomery County is a diverse community with urban, suburban, and rural areas,” said Abby Binkley, Executive Director of the CMC Education Foundation. “We are excited to work with Google on the Rolling Study Halls pilot program that focuses on one of the rural areas in our county with bus routes that tend to be longer than those within the city limits.”

According to Google, teachers are increasingly assigning schoolwork that requires internet access to the detriment of millions of students that lack connectivity at home. This ‘Homework Gap’ disproportionally impacts low-income students, especially in more remote or rural areas, where they face additional burdens like long bus commutes.

After initial pilots in North Carolina and South Carolina, early results indicate promising gains in reading and math proficiency, and increased digital fluency. So Google expanded Rolling Study Halls to reach thousands more students across 16 more school districts, including CMCSS, focused on rural communities.

To ensure student internet safety and security during Rolling Study Halls, the CMCSS Technology Department uses a Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliant solution to prevent student access to materials the district deems harmful and to block internet access to inappropriate sites. This is the same CIPA compliant solution that is used during the regular school day.

“Many of our students come in from long distances,” stated Mr. Millard L. House II, CMCSS Director of schools. “Some of our students don’t have internet access in their homes. You will hear us say in the district that every minute makes a difference. We believe that this pilot program provides students the internet access and devices that they need to maximize every minute of learning.”

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