For Schools Seeking Stronger 1:1 Programs, Absolute Introduces New Resilience for Student Devices

Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, individual student device programs, or 1:1, have become the new normal for most K-12 schools. According to EdWeek Research Center, they are now in place for 90% of middle and high school students and 84% of elementary students. While an integral component in the delivery of hybrid learning, the norm isn’t without challenges however, as the requirement of one device per student has meant an increase in the number of student devices distributed by 74 percent in 2020 alone.

An increase in devices means an increase in device management challenges. Student devices need to be accounted for, accurate end-of-year inventory reports completed, and devices prepared for the next school year. Often thousands of devices are unreturned, which is a drain on budgets. As outlined in the Education Endpoint Risk Report, the increase in 1:1 programs contributed to a 45 percent increase in the number of devices reported either missing or stolen by schools.

What’s more, lost devices need to be reported in federal funding audits, shining a negative spotlight on the district.

All of this requires more support from an already overstretched, resource-strapped IT team. For districts to better manage these here-to-stay 1:1 programs, Absolute has introduced Absolute Resilience for Student Devices, empowering school IT admins with the most relevant capabilities to assure devices can be managed effectively from anywhere, seamlessly provide proof of proper usage for audit purposes, and help operationalize the annual missing device collection process.

Benefits include the ability to:

• Effectively track, monitor, and manage student devices no matter where they are, both on and off campus.
• Stay audit ready with customizable reports on devices purchased with US state and federal disbursements such as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF).
• Improve device return rates, and save time and money, by outsourcing missing device collection to Absolute’s team of experts, who will operationalize the process.
• Gain insights into Web and device usage by having access to detailed usage reports that show the amount of time spent using each device — and how much active time is spent on web-based approved educational resources.
• Keep essential device management tools like Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, formerly Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), and Microsoft Intune installed, healthy, and effective to avoid any disruptions in being able to serve the device fleet.
• Maintain device operations and security posture with comprehensive remote lifecycle management capabilities — from configuration to decommissioning — and the ability to address the latest reported vulnerabilities across device fleets.
• Leverage an experienced investigations team for recovery of stolen devices in collaboration with law enforcement.

By combining student device visibility and control capabilities with an annual missing device collection service, school districts can ensure that device fleets are managed and protected all year long, the usage of federal funding for mandated1:1 programs is accounted for, and device loss is being reduced. 

To learn more about Absolute for education, get the solution sheet.