Students From States With Faster Internet Tend To Have Higher Test Scores

An anonymous reader sends word of correlation found between higher internet speeds and higher test scores. Quoting: The numbers—first crunched by the Internet provider comparison site HSI — show a distinct trend between faster Internet and higher ACT test scores. On the high end, Massachusetts scores big with an average Internet speed of 13.1Mbps, and an average ACT test score of 24.1. Mississippi, on the other hand, has an average speed of just 7.6Mbps and an average score of 18.9.

In between those two states, the other 48 fall in a positive correlation that, while not perfect, is quite undeniable. According to HSI's Edwin Ivanauskas, the correlation is stronger than that between household income and test scores, which have long been considered to be firmly connected to each other. The ACT scores were gathered from ACT.org, which has the official rankings and averages for the 2013 test, and the speed ratings were taken from Internet analytics firm Akamai's latest report.

Comments

Re:sorry

[pezpunk]

I mean somehow I doubt better access to broadband is going to solve Mississippi's education problems. I'm willing to bet Massachusetts kids were trouncing Mississippi kids long before the internet came along.

Re:Correlation is not causation

[mrchaotica]

[Immigrants aside, apparently, it's "Take that, Georgia!']

You think Georgia doesn't have a lot of immigrants? It's got a higher percentage than New Mexico (9.5% vs 9.2%)!