Although the hardware devices they have chosen for their program differ, Jeff Mao of the Maine Department of Education and Jim Klein of California's Saugus Union School District "concur on one-to-one strategy: successful advocacy and implementation of one-to-one programs must focus on educational vision and goals, and educators must frame the issues and solve the problems."

In addition to the ways in which Maine's statewide program has impacted teaching and learning, the School CIO article describes a number of the technical and logistical challenges involved in one-to-one and looks at the solutions arrived at in both Maine and Saugus Union. In spite of his concerns about the "logistical nightmare" that a laptop program can cause, Jim Klein, Saugus Union's director of information services and technology, pushed for a 1:1 implementation in his district focused on writing and other English skills. As described in the article:

The district was blown away by the year-end test results. After only one semester, English language arts and writing scores had risen by record amounts, up 24 percent and 37 percent, respectively, from the previous year. Writing scores were double the state average, says Klein. "We know that the higher scores were the result of the laptop program."

Read the complete article: School CIO: Making 1:1 Work.