The U.S. Department of the Interior is partnering with Verizon and Microsoft to provide broadband Internet and tablet computers to more than 1,000 Native American students.
Interior Secretary Salley Jewell was in Winslow, Arizona, Tuesday to check in with high schoolers impacted by the program.
The Winslow Residential Dorm on the Navajo Nation was among 10 facilities operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education to participate. It's part of a larger Obama administration initiative called ConnectED, aimed at increasing broadband Internet access in rural communities.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the agency hopes to potentially expand the program in the future if it's effective.
"I would say what’s next for this program is to recognize what can be done and learn lessons from this," said Jewell. "Because it’s in kind of a compact area and then over time roll it out to all of our schools that educate tribal youth."
Tribal education leaders say the tablets should help the students complete their daily school assignments, though officials also hoped the kids would use the tablets to strengthen their Native American language skills.
