Palo Alto Laptop Plan Scratched For Now

from the outcry-not-expected dept

Following the outcry from parents all over Palo Alto when told that they would have to buy their kids $2,000 laptops, the school district has put that plan on hold for the time being, while they try to sort out the issues raised by the parents. It says the did consider asking companies for donations, but chose not to, because the program is in only one of three middle schools in the district, and they didn't think it was fair to exclude the other two from a donation program. Of course... if they focused on the one school, and showed business how successful the program was, they would probably be able to secure donations for the other schools. I guess that involves too much long term thinking, though.
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  1. identicon
    Doubting Thomas, 31 Oct 2001 @ 4:59am

    Evidence

    How about the fact that there is absolutely no evidence at all that having students have laptops is of any use to them in improving their education at all? This perhaps a more cogent argument for not insisting that people have them. Of course, on eis not allowed to say suggest that technology may not be the answer to all problems these days....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    Mike (profile), 31 Oct 2001 @ 10:03am

    Re: Evidence

    Well, to the credit of the school, they did run a pilot last year and found that the program did improve noticeably the schoolwork of the children who had the laptops. I would say that's slightly more than "no evidence".

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    sb, 31 Oct 2001 @ 9:59pm

    Re: Evidence

    i bet most kids already have laptops
    if not, you can get a great used laptop on ebay for $500. it will do ANYTHING a highschooler needs it for.
    i bet the parents drive overpriced $60,000 SUV's
    parents will spend $135,000 for college
    $2000 screen TV
    $2000 in credit card interest
    $20k kitchen remodel
    $1000 week long summer camp
    $1000 turkish rippoff scam tourist rug
    $1000 weber BBQ grill
    $2000 patio furniture
    $3000 crate and barell dining room table
    new $20000 car for 16 year old, who crashes it
    $200 dinners out
    $50,000 weddings filled with overpriced ripoff bulllshit scams
    3 phone lines in house
    giant house, each person has own floor
    $300 hairdos for wife
    $4000 jungle gym

    yet complain about a computer
    people are so aumsing

    link to this | view in thread ]


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