The state-funded Lilla G. Frederick Middle School is located in Dorchester, a tough Boston district prone to crime and poor schools. The school began the program two years ago, with costs of about $2 million. Last year all 7 th and 8 th graders received Apple laptops for use throughout the school day.

Jason Szep, a Reuters' reporter looking in on participating classroom, observes:

It has no textbooks. Students receive laptops at the start of each day, returning them at the end. Teachers and students maintain blogs. Staff and parents chat on instant messaging software. Assignments are submitted through electronic "drop boxes" on the school's Web site.

…Classwork is done in Google Inc's free applications like Google Docs, or Apple's iMovie and specialized educational software like FASTT Math.

Principal Debra Socia observes, "It's a powerful, powerful experience!" Average attendance has climbed a bit, and discipline referrals have fallen 30 percent. Socia adds that parents are more engaged with the ability to chat with teachers online. The laptops also help teachers differentiate instruction for the wide-range of learners in this school.

Source : Washington Post, Technology Reshapes America's classrooms , July 7, 2008.