News Release

Online computer in every classroom will improve education
 

Southaven, Nov 10, 2002 - Mississippi will be "at the head of the wave of technological innovation" by the end of the year, according to the National Governors Association. That's when the last public school classroom in the state is scheduled to receive an online computer, making Mississippi the first state in the nation to have an online computer in every public classroom.

This effort began right here in DeSoto County less than three years ago.

Robin Costa, the president of the Maddox Foundation that had recently moved from Nashville to Hernando, and I met and discussed needs in our community. We quickly focused on putting a computer in every classroom in the county.

Earlier in the year, I had heard my brother, who was then president of AOL, challenge the Mississippi Economic Council's annual meeting to do something significant for the state, like put a computer on every desk. That challenge had stuck with me.

Costa had noticed the absence of a computer in her daughter's elementary class, lessening the ability of students to use programs like Accelerated Reader.

Costa and I agreed that we should try to put a computer in every public classroom in DeSoto County. The school district was well on its way toward that goal but, as always, lacked funds to keep up.

The school district's assistant superintendent for technology and finance, Wendell Davis, was receptive to our idea. He let us know how we could accomplish this goal and let us know that every school classroom was Internet-accessible. Going online would be easy and expensive.

Costa and I met with Gov.-elect Ronnie Musgrove, who had campaigned for a computer on every desk, to ask for state assistance with putting an online computer in every classroom in DeSoto County. He agreed to make it a pilot project for the whole state.

In January 2000, we put together a partnership of DeSoto County schools, AOL Foundation, Maddox Foundation, the University of Mississippi, Northwest Mississippi Community College, state government and the DeSoto County Economic Council to begin. More than other 50 partners joined the effort.

In less than nine months, DeSoto County had an online computer in every public classroom, making it the first in Mississippi.

By the end of 2002, thanks to many partnerships among public and private organizations throughout the state, EVERY county in Mississippi will have an online computer in every public classroom.

That's a status no other state has achieved, putting Missis-sippi "at the head of the wave of technological innovation."

More importantly, it closes the digital divide for Mississippi students. Everyone will have easy access to a computer and the Internet. Schools that could not afford up-to-date reference material will have it at the touch of a few keys.

An online computer in every classroom will improve education for all the state's students, including DeSoto County.