[10377] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Schools and the NII
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (The future Ross Stapleton-Gray)
Sun Feb 20 13:57:33 1994
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 1994 9:20:44 -0700 (MST)
From: The future Ross Stapleton-Gray <STAPLETON@bpa.arizona.edu>
To: com-priv@psi.com
I think we need more facts on the table if we're going to debate how the
government should or shouldn't help education via the NII. I got my
hands on the budget sheets for the Arlington County schools (courtesy of
my serving on a citizens' advisory committee) and will post some of the
relevant statistics when I can. But the numbers are low (schools *districts*
getting a modest amount for technology, and the schools themselves receiving
on the order of $5/student/year for hardware & software purchases, etc.).
But we also need more informationon how the educational process actually
works, and we have to be more charitable in the debate: I don't think I was
saying things too far removed from what was said in rebuttal. For
instance, I don't think my recommendation that DoEd ought to compete contracts
to build a national encyclopedia is much different from arranging for a
national site license from an existing encyclopedia provider. A creative
program management team at Education could take existing encyclopedias one
better just by structuring the contract process so that *all* vendors could
contribute parts, and the differences in their perspectives would show
through.
As far as state, local and federal goes, we ought to note that government
*always* controls the content in the schools, you just get to pick your
level. I would rather have a national program available as an alternative
when the local board decides that the historical texts ought to downplay
civil rights, or that teachers can't have access to frank discussions of
current health issues.
Just because DoEd has been only a tiny slice of the educational process in
America doesn't require that it remain so, either.
Ross
