Horne oversees effort to bring learning tablets to Navajo Nation

For immediate release: September 14, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne oversees effort to bring learning tablets to Navajo Nation
Ganado district pilot program for 300 devices

Newsrooms: For broadcast-quality b-roll of students receiving these pads in Ganado, please click here: https://youtu.be/l67a7CZQxT8?si=gwbdDnAII6cn_LAs

GANADO – Approximately 300 portable tablet devices have been delivered to students in the Ganado Unified School District on the Navajo Nation as result of a public-private partnership overseen by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne in cooperation with the non-profit organization My Life My Power and Smart Class Arizona founder Paola Tulliani Zen.

Horne said, “These devices are a valuable tool for these students and address a significant need for Navajo children. Sadly, the average proficiency rate in math and science for Navajo children is five percent, which is scandalously low. Children who are performing that poorly in the classroom have almost no chance of succeeding in our economy and this kind of technology will create new ways for them to improve academically.”

He added, “The tablets are already loaded with the materials the students need to study reading and math without any need for an internet connection. More than 90 percent of tribal communities in Arizona lack broadband internet service, so having preloaded tablets is an essential method to get vital educational resources to these students.”

The tablets were purchased by My Life My Power, a 501(c)3 Non-Profit that serves youth facing hardships and challenges. The Arizona Department of Education partnered with that organization and Smart Class Arizona to distribute them to the Ganado district at no cost to the public.

Tulliani Zen added, “We must transform schools with technology, making children ready for their future. We plan to implement pilot programs like the one in Ganado to demonstrate an increase in learning capacity among students provided with these fun, innovative learning pads.”

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