This examination of microcomputer use in primary schools begins by comparing the national data for elementary schools for 1984-1985 with the findings of a study of seven elementary schools in the Anchorage (Alaska) School District (ASD) which was conducted in the same year. Current research findings are cited in a discussion of assumptions about the instructional effectiveness of computers, and it is noted that the overall results of the ASD study failed to show that the computers have been either effective or ineffective in improving academic achievement. A description of the process used by ASD to integrate computers into the primary school classroom highlights coordination, including the development of a scope and sequence guide together with long range goals and objectives to ensure uniformity within the curriculum; provisions for inservice teacher training; provisions for maintenance and repair of the microcomputers; the acquisition of hardware and software; and a systematic approach to instruction. A brief description of teacher use of computers includes the names of software used for various purposes, and a discussion of trends in educational software focuses on applications programs for students and the use of CD-ROM for a district-wide union catalog of school library holdings. It is concluded that, although computers in the classroom are still in the experimental stage, they can be successfully implemented at the elementary level if adequate leadership, funding, and inservice training are provided. (BBM)