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Apple Tries Again With Schools (This Time With Mentors)

Apple hasn't always had the best track record when it comes to getting its gear successfully integrated into schools. Remember the big kerfuffle with the Los Angeles Unified School District? Giving thousands of iPads to high school students turned out to be a bit of a dud, in part because students quickly found ways to get around any restrictions placed on the devices.

However, setbacks like this haven't stopped Apple from continuing its education efforts. In 2014, Apple joined President Obama's ConnectED project, pledging $100 million in MacBooks, iPads, software, and expertise for schools. As part of the program, 114 institutes in 29 states received Apple ConnectED grants, which include iPads for students, a MacBook-and-iPad bundle for teachers and administrators, and an Apple TV in the classroom.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, Apple also assigned one of its executives to oversee each school program, who "helps clear roadblocks." For example, Yuma, Arizona—a largely Hispanic community near the Mexican border where unemployment is 18 percent—is overseen by Eddy Cue.

Mentors pledge to spend 17 days per year at their schools, where they help with training and lesson prep. As the Journal notes, "such extensive support is unusual."

The move isn't completely altruistic, of course. Chromebooks are popular in schools, where cheap laptops are often more useful than easily cracked tablets without a keyboard or stylus. 

There's also the problem of connectivity; not all kids have Internet at home. In Yuma, Cue is reportedly helping secure a cellular data grant from AT&T. Obama has also pledged to connect 20 million more Americans to broadband by 2020 via an initiative known as ConnectALL.