Most districts rely on competitive bidding for purchases, bypassing it only for low-cost items. The process involves writing specifications, sending them to (carefully selected) prospective bidders. Sealed bids are usually opened at public meetings; administrators can recommend who gets the contract, but school boards usually have final say. (MLH)

Schools should beware questionable practices of many dot.com companies offering attractive rebates for purchases made online. High rebate rates are often designed to drive traffic to a particular site, but fine print can change overnight. Companies' connections to schools are tenuous and are driven by profit. (MLH)

E-commerce is coming slowly to education, but some curious school purchasing officials are clicking on vendors' web sites. Pioneering districts include the Chicago, Detroit, and El Dorado (California) public schools. Vendors include Boise Cascade and Office Depot. Some vendors are joining institutional exchanges like Commerce One or marketing…

In the ephemeral dot.com economy, numerous education portals (search engines) are emerging just as unsuccessful ones are terminating or trimming services. Ideally, portals offer an online school/home gateway and provide tailored content for parents, students, and teachers. However, quality, equity, reliability, and commercialism issues abound.…

Six "silver bullets" that could raise student achievement are (1) set national standards;(2) make sure all students can read; (3) improve the quality of teaching; (4) demand from vendors better textbooks and teaching materials; (5) encourage charter schools; and (6) collaborate, coordinate, and redefine resources. (MLF)