Good stats for comparisons and trends...

Most Schools Are Wired

October 28, 2001 

By SUSAN STELLIN


 

New statistics compiled by Quality Education Data, a market
research firm, indicate that 97 percent of America’s public
schools are now connected to the Internet, while 84 percent
of public school classrooms are online.

Jeanne Hayes, president of the research company, attributed
the high connection rates to the federal E-rate program,
which provides money to wire schools in part through fees
assessed on consumers’ phone bills. ‘‘An infusion of $2.25
billion has had a tremendous impact, especially in the
poorer schools,’’ she said. The data also indicated that
the average ratio of students-per-computer was 5-to-1 in
the 2000-2001 school year. Quality Education found that 64
percent of those computers used Microsoft Windows software
and 32 percent of those computers were Apple Macintosh
machines. (The remainder used older operating systems).

But desktop computers may face competition from mobile
devices in school technology budgets. Ms. Hayes said 22
percent of the districts surveyed said they were supplying
hand-held computers to staff members, most frequently to
technology coordinators or principals. But she said she
also expected those devices to become more common in
classrooms. 



http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/technology/29DRILL.html?ex=1005345988&ei=1
&en=5513edd38dbdb8b6



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