The fifth and sixth graders at Gateway Regional School District in Huntington, MA, will be using Mac laptop computers this year, securing the district's claim to having the highest student-to-computer ratio in Massachusetts. Gateway's one-to-one laptop Initiative now gives all students in grades 5-12 the opportunity to lease or purchase their laptop for use at school and at home. The program is designed to close the digital divide between students who have computers at home and those who do not.

Funding for the program is multi-faceted. Grants from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education paid for some of the professional development to support laptop learning. Funding for the wireless infrastructure came from a building program. Teacher laptops were provided by the district and by the grants, as were carts of laptops that are used in each school for students who do not lease.

The 2007 Intel Visionary Conference recognized Gateway's program as a national model. "It's one of the most exciting educational endeavors available today," said Angela Burke, the district's technology director. Observing that the laptops have improved her own children's work, she adds, "The types of things they produce, the questions they ask now, that's impressive."

Source: The Republican , Gateway pupils get laptop help , by Alex Peshkov