The U-S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded an the Education Innovation Partners Cooperative Center a grant to connect students living in rural area with telecommunication and internet capabilities to help them learn.

The 500 thousand dollar grant was announced by Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Representative Pete Stauber last week.

Long distance learning services help students overcome challenged faced due to their remote location and low population density.

Stauber applauds the USDA for their efforts and says he will continue to work with the agency to increase opportunities for rural residents.

The project serves 28 sites across six counties and will benefit an estimated 21 thousand students and 1500 teachers per year.