Classroom Internet Access Not Enough

W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 19, 2000 -- Schools connected to the Internet but lacking instant, complete access to its resources will be left behind thiscentury, just as those with dated textbooks were in the last one, abipartisan panel concludes.

The report, released today by the Web-based EducationCommission, argues that it’s now an ancient goal to have merely acomputer — even one with an Internet hookup — in every Americanclassroom.

Instead, broadband networks that instantly transmit video andaudio are vital for meaningful education in the future, yet thattechnology is moot if teachers aren’t continuously trained in it.

Very Specific Suggestions

“The legacy of the one-room schoolhouse is holding back theone-world classroom,” said Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Nebraska Democratwho as chairman led the yearlong effort to examine how best to moveschools forward in the information age.

Complete with suggestions for policy changes and long-termgoals, the 163-page report encapsulates hundreds of interviews andnumerous studies by the commission, which included five members ofCongress and various educators.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in anything in 22 yearsof government more intense and comprehensive than this work,” saidRep. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., who was the commission’s vice chairman.

The goals are broad, but the suggestions are specific. Forexample, the commission proposes colleges scrap requirements thatstudents attend at least 12 hours of coursework — and half of it ina classroom — to be eligible for federal grants or scholarships.

School buildings are becoming less important, Isakson said,because the lessons taught inside them are often available with aclick of a mouse.

“You don’t even have to come to the United States and you cangraduate from Georgia Tech,” Isakson said. “We need to repeal ormodify some of these regulations the Internet has made archaic.”

Too Much Inaccurate Information

According to the commission’s report, schools spend only $200per student on technology, compared with $5,500 per worker for atypical corporation.

And while 90 percent of schools and 71 percent of classrooms arenow connected to the Internet, there is a new gap developingbetween neighborhoods with rapid broadband Internet capabilitiesand those without, the report says.

It also addresses the quantities of inaccurate, poor qualityinformation on the Internet, but one commission member figures thefree market will sort that out.

“The Internet is young,” said Florence McGinn, a teacher atHunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J. “Thequality of material on the Internet has to grow and become morein-depth. As more and more people get on and use it, they’ll findthe quality and ignore the bad stuff.”

Former Texas Board of Education Chairman Jack Christie, who isclose to President-elect Bush, was releasing the results alongsidemembers of the commission.

Christie said it’s no secret why he was invited.

“It may be a fact of life that they need a bridge to the newpresident, but it’s a good bridge,” Christie said. “There areonly positives that can come from it, and I don’t mind that.”