Universal Access The CEO Forum, a group of the nation's top business executives, emphasize the need for universal access in their 2001 report, Key Building Blocks for Student Achievement in the 21st Century (p. 29). The success of past federal programs, such as the E-rate, have drastically improved Internet access for the nation's schools. George Bush's pledge to "leave no child behind" is evidenced by his promise to loosen restrictions in the FCC's E-Rate program and propose $400 million in new spending over the next five years for the Education Department to research ways that technology can be used to boost student achievement. 2 The new national goals call for access beyond classrooms and include the greater community. Goal One All students and teachers will have access to information technology in their classrooms, schools, communities and homes. An integral part of school improvement and reform efforts in the 21st century, in the United States and abroad, will be student and teacher access to educational technology, such as computers connected to the Internet. Universal access to the Internet will help end the isolation of teachers; exponentially expand the resources for teaching and learning in schools and classrooms; provide more challenging, authentic and higher-order learning experiences for students; and make schools and teachers more accountable to parents and communities. The quality of Internet access is critical. Broadband access will be the new standard. Slow, unreliable connections that cannot support interactivity or rich multimedia content will no longer be sufficient. To take advantage of access to technology for improved teaching and learning, it will become increasingly important to build and support network infrastructures—wired or wireless, desktop or handheld—that allow multiple devices to connect simultaneously to the Internet throughout every school building and community in the nation. To realize the goal of universal access to educational technology for students and teachers, we should ensure sustained and predictable funding for technology; ensure that technology plans reflect the educational needs of students and are regularly updated; improve the affordability, reliability and ease of use of educational technology; ensure that school buildings and facilities are modern; strengthen our commitment to eliminating the digital divide; and ensure that all students have equal opportunities to access and use technology. Source: e-Learning. Putting a world-class education at the fingertips of all children. School Beyond Walls In Newark, Arkansas, Newark High School has used telecommunications to change the relationship between students and the school. Students can check out a computer and modem and call the school's network from home to access their records, get homework assignments, read and respond to e-mail, and telecommute when they miss school due to illness. Deer High School, also in Arkansas, developed a system to facilitate access to technology. Using rehabilitated computers rescued by a parent, the school allows each junior and senior without a computer at home to borrow one for the entire school year. As a result, students now bring their work to school on disk, print it out, and turn it in. This check-out program has also encouraged parents of students without computers to buy new computers for their home.