Don't All Children Deserve This Advantage?

One For Each Teen
I was reading the Washington Post today, and I read with interest an article that describes a public high school in Alexandria, Virginia that was actually issuing laptop computers to every student. The computers were not a gift, but similar to textbooks, would be returned to the school at the end of the year.

At T.C. Williams High School, all 2100 students received their machines the day before yesterday. Each computer was labeled with the student's name, and bore an anti-theft security sticker. These particular computers are leased, not owned, by the school district.

The idea is that all students, be they poor or better off, be given the same opportunity to develop skills that will be essential in the work place. All of us here at the Education Wonks agree that this is a good policy. The essential goal of public education is to provide students with the opportunity to achieve success.

With well over $8000 (on average) of taxpayers money being spent on each student every year, it should not be an insurmountable obstacle to invest in a laptop for every high school student. Good laptop computers can be bought (in bulk) for $400-600 each.

If the child damages or loses it, they can be billed for a replacement, and payment must be made before the pupil collects his/her diploma at graduation time.

Now the question is: Does your child's school furnish a laptop computer for pupils, and if they do not, what is their excuse for not doing so?