Churches are an unlikely ally in solving the rural internet access puzzle

The small rural school district of Quakertown in Bucks County has become a national model for how to use technology to transform the public school experience. The majority of students in the district take at least one class online and all ninth graders are given laptops they can take to college when they graduate.

The digital divide in America is the disparity in students' access to the internet and technology. In Philadelphia, the introduction of high-speed internet aims to address that divide.

Health communication systems designed for rural, developing countries -- where hospitals are often understaffed and transportation is inadequate -- are being adapted to improve care in U.S. cities.

Low budget schools across the U.S. are having students use their smartphones as learning tools inside and outside the classroom. At no extra cost they can incorporate technology into the curriculum through a myriad of applications, from homework reminder apps to free cloud document platforms like Google Docs.

School in various states in the United States are incorporating online learning into the curriculum to track student comprehension, adapt to students' learning levels, and decrease the digital divide.

Like their for-profit counterparts, charities are starting to embrace Big Data as a means to perform more efficiently and share that performance with potential donors. Data gathered is used both to measure successes and to highlight areas where program structure could be improved.

Many families in rural New Mexico still do not have high speed internet access at home. In Farmington, the public school district, a local college, and nonprofits are working to close the gap in the digital divide for students by addressing access to technology and the internet.

In many rural communities, access to specialty care represents the biggest health challenge. Since 2003, a groundbreaking initiative called Project Echo at the University of New Mexico has confronted that gap — with promising results in small towns across New Mexico and, now, around the world.

Mental health care often requires a human touch and a personal connection. Tucked quietly in an office park in Grafton, volunteers at the COPE Hotline field nearly 23,000 calls a year from all over the Milwaukee area and some points beyond.

Ecological toilets that use natural composting to break down waste are simple to construct, waterless and are easy to fix. But as philanthropists are finding, getting these to those that need it most is harder than anticipated.