The 150 students at Yaakoosgé Daakahídi, the Juneau, Alaska, school district's alternative high school started receiving Apple laptops about a year and a half ago as part of a statewide pilot program. Principal Laury Scandling was initially skeptical of how effective giving laptops to her students would be, but she's encouraged by the trends she has seen so far.

It’s too early for official documentation, but, in response to a survey, students said that the laptops helped them get better grades, learn more and show up more often to school. Scandling’s observations show that the laptops are especially useful in helping the students – who come to her school because they are not succeeding elsewhere – to become more organized.

Being given a chance to be responsible for a computer, says Scandling, has provided the students with a message of support – showing that they are being trusted. And, she adds, it’s working. “They have so stepped up to the plate!"

Students can leave the computers overnight at the school or, if they earn the privilege through good behavior and grades, take them home with them. So far, only one laptop from the program has been stolen. A contract with a co-signer gives a strong financial incentive to caring for the computer.

A strong emphasis on training, both for teachers and students, ensures that the machines are not just expensive word processors. The English teacher is particularly pleased with how much further students can take their ideas with the laptops’ cameras, microphones and multimedia editing software.

There are 50 similar programs at 17 other districts around the state, according to Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Board. He would like to see all middle school and high school students in the state eventually have their own laptops.

The state Legislature contributed $5 million for the program in 2006, and asked participating school districts to pay for a third of costs. Juneau School District pays about $34,000 a year for the laptops at Yaakoosgé. The Legislature didn't renew the program last year, but Rose said he's hopeful the success of programs like the one at Yaakoosgé will help convince lawmakers to provide another $5 million to the program this legislative session.

Source : Juneau Empire, Laptops Lend a Hand