The current status and apparent trends of local area networks (LANs) in school districts are explored in this short report. Results of a 1987-88 Quality Education Data survey are cited, indicating that 64% of 173 of the largest school districts in the country were already networking and 36% intended to be networking by 1990. The advantages of…

This digest reviews the promise and drawbacks of computerized learning programs and telecommunication technologies for small rural schools. A critical feature of programmed learning packages can be their stand-alone feature. To the extent that such programs do not require the presence or involvement of a trained on-site teacher, they make it…

The print-based model of distance education through correspondence continues to be used, but is being supplemented and, in some cases, replaced, by other media. A second generation of distance education in the 1960s and 1970s was characterized by reliance on open broadcasting, supported by correspondence instruction and print materials. A third…

By 1992, according to a study by the Council of Chief State School Officers, more than 3.5 million computers were in U.S. elementary and secondary schools--a ratio of one computer for every 13 students. In addition, 99 percent of all schools across the country reported that they provide their students with some access to computers. Sometimes…