Weeky Wrap-Up, September 11, 2015

Recently, Google partnered with Experian Consumer Insights to explore how Hispanics use digital to connect with the U.S. Government. They also analyzed Google query data to uncover major trends in U.S. Hispanic behavior and Spanish-language searches A couple of facts from the article:

  • Hispanics are 16% more likely to visit government websites than the general population, according to a recent study conducted with Hitwise.
  • And almost half of Spanish-language searches are done on mobile devices. That's a 145% growth from 2011.

This week’s episode of Bullish, a new talk show from TechCrunch, focused on the digital divide. The episode featured Warren Barkley, the CTO of SMART Technologies. Watch it here.

In an article form ESchool News, Keith Krueger examines why we must address digital equity right now. “We are at a crossroads. Digital equity increasingly requires that all students have broadband access when they leave the school campus, especially at home. Yet, many low-income families lack broadband access at home.”

A new study released this summer took an interesting look at the effect of expanding Internet access and the decline in teen pregnancy. They found that a change from having no broadband Internet in a county, to having access in every zip code within that county, is associated with a 5.5% decline in the teen birth rate.  Roughly 13% of the decline in the teen birth rate could be attributed to the expansion of broadband Internet.

And, read about the new Department of Veterans Affairs program attempting to ensure the large number of people discharging from active duty over the next few years will have the skills for technology-heavy jobs in the private sector.