With the start of a new semester this month, ninth graders in Lorain, Ohio, are scheduled to get laptop to help with homework and assignments. Unlike many laptop programs, this one does not provide students with Internet access. Instead, the laptops will be pre-loaded with textbook information and other relevant software, completely replacing textbooks for the 922 students. The district eventually plans to expand the program to the middle schools.

The $200,000 price tag for the computers is covered by a grant through Career and Professional Pathways, a city educational fund that is separate from the school’s general fund. "We've been looking at innovative ways to enhance the curriculum without using general fund dollars," according to Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson. "We've taken a hard look at the practices of the past, which at the time were sound. But we're now able to offer our students these 21st century tools and practices so they can excel in a global environment."

Source: The Morning Journal, Laptops replace textbooks for students in Lorain. See also: Career and Professional Pathways web page