The Henrico County Public Schools is in the midst of its tenth year as a one-to-one laptop district. County officials, teachers and students proclaim the one-to-one laptop program a success. They say it provides an opportunity to experience education beyond paper, pen and textbook, engage students in the learning process in ways never done before, and prepare them better for postsecondary education and the work world.

"You cannot have a 21st-century learning environment that doesn't have technology," said Christopher Corallo, executive director of Organizational Development, Quality and Innovation, which oversees Henrico's instructional technology.

Henrico was one of the first school systems nationwide to embark on a district-wide 1:1 initiative. The county issues laptops to approximately 26,000 high school and middle school students and 4,000 teachers and staff.

The program has not been without its hitches. For example, last year an internal audit found problems with documentation of laptop repairs and fee payments by families. However, in August, 2010, the School Board expressed satisfaction that a corrective plan put in place by the administration — including money more clearly earmarked to assist families who have trouble paying the annual $50 fee and better monitoring of student and teacher use of the laptops — would address their concerns.

Since the first laptops were distributed in the fall of 2001, students and teachers have learned to incorporate them into their class work in diverse ways, ranging from creating and posting educational, public service YouTube videos on STD prevention to the creation of a digital Harlem Renaissance museum in a history class. Research indicates that the laptop program is having a significant impact. A three-year study released two years ago by Ashland-based Interactive, Inc, linked the laptop use in Henrico with higher test scores in biology, history, chemistry, reading and earth science. And many researchers think that test scores barely begin to measure the benefits of a one- to-one program as ambitious as Henrico's.

"I firmly believe that one-to-one computer programs improve student learning opportunities," said Jonathan D. Becker, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education who teaches data analysis, educational technology and school leadership. "It may or may not improve achievements as measured by test scores, but it improves opportunities, it opens up possibilities and affords students new ways to learn."

In an effort to further measure the program's impact on achievement, the county is developing an internal assessment focusing on students' ability to apply it to critical thinking and problem-solving and communicate what they are learning. Henrico is also focusing on curriculum development and collaboration amongst teachers. Last year, the county launched Henrico 21, an initiative that encourages teachers to create lesson plans and submit them to a judging panel with a small reward as a motivator. More than 600 teachers submitted lesson plans.

Sources: Henrico Board Pleased with Actions on Laptop Program, and After Nearly aDecade, Laptops Changed Learning in Henrico, Richmond Times-Dispatch