Piedmont City School District

mPower Piedmont, which began in 2009, provides all students in grades 4-12 (approximately 800 students per year) with a laptop computer to use at school or home 24/. mPower is offered despite many ongoing challenges typical of many small, rural districts like Piedmont. With a small and ever-changing school budget, the area’s lack of broadband infrastructure, and a small staff, (many of whom have multiple titles) it was a challenging task to work through this initiative. Although it appears to be a technology initiative, it was a community transformation initiative in an effort to try and help revitalize a community that had been losing businesses for years. The laptop simply provides a means for our students, in a rural area, to access a wealth of knowledge they wouldn’t have access to without the device. mPower Piedmont leveled the playing field for all Piedmont students regardless of socioeconomic status.