Schools are working to incorporate more multimedia into classrooms, upgrade online professional development, and do a better job using data to improve student achievement. Even though nearly every school in the country is now connected to the Internet, not all of them have the kind of connections that allow teachers and students to make full use…

Computer companies are rolling out lower-priced laptops designed for education, claiming that the new "netbooks" are better tuned than past models to the needs of young learners--and to the constraints of school budgets. The new models may help revive confidence in 1-to-1 laptop programs, which some school districts have backed away from in recent…

A growing number of K-12 educators are using Web logs, or "blogs" for short, to foster better writing, reading, communication, and other academic skills. Such Web sites, often open to the public, double as chronological journals and can include Web links and photographs as well as audio and video elements. Opinions on the use of blogs are shared…

More and more school districts, as well as for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations, are offering Internet-based summer classes in core subjects, such as algebra and reading, and electives such as creative writing. In this article, the author discusses the growth of enrollment in online education for summer. The logistical ease of…

This document and accompanying disk contain all of the articles from an "Education Week" special report examining the complex phenomenon commonly known as the "information highway" and how it affects the nation's schools. The articles, all by Peter West, include: (1) "Logged On for Learning," an overview of the…

This document contains all of the articles from an "Education Week" special report examining technology's role in bringing schools and homes closer together. Articles include: (1) "Homeward Bound" (Peter West), about one of the nation's first "virtual teachers" and the effect of the changing dynamics of the…