Argues that the real worth of wide-area computer-mediated communications networks in supporting reform and improvement in K-12 education is the opportunity to develop collaborative projects that link educators and students to provide meaningful learning experiences connected to the curriculum and that such projects are essential to make NREN an…

Testimony to a congressional subcommittee stresses the importance of national broadband communications networks such as NREN and NSFNet to the educational community. Approval for a proposed private sector competition for a cooperative agreement with NSFNet is expressed, and the necessity for a common infrastructure for the NREN is discussed. (LAE)

Presents trends and future possibilities in the areas of distance education; handheld wireless information delivery devices; computer applications; academic and administrative computing; electronic communications, including the role of government and public subsidies; and the national information infrastructure, including user needs. (LRW)