Students at Greene Central High School in Green County, NC, are enthusiastic about their laptop program. So enthusiastic that one of their graduates, Abel Real, traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to testify about the benefits of the laptop program to a US House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee. In his testimony, which can be viewed on YouTube, he described how technology inspired him overcome significant hardships in his life. "Technology is not a luxury," he testified, "it is a necessity."

Since 2003 when Greene County entered a lease agreement with Apple Computer they have provided every student from sixth to 12 grade with a laptop computer. Their college application rate has increased dramatically from 24% in 2002 to 88 % in 2009. Now the school district is planning to discontinue textbooks by the year 2014 for their middle and high school students and go completely digital.

As might be expected, the program is not without its critics. A number of people have concerns about the fact that nearly one third of the students in the district cannot afford the $75 insurance fee and are, therefore, required to leave their laptops at school each night. And some parents have asked that the Internet be taken off their students’ computers so they don’t go to inappropriate sites. But, overall, the fans outweigh the skeptics at Greene Central. Remarking on the increase in application rates, Greene County School Board chairwoman Pat Adams said: "It's been absolutely remarkable. I am pleased to see that our students have excelled."

Source: McClatchy-Tribune Business News, A step head of the rest: Greene County Schools continues to provide laptop computers for every middle and high school students by Chris Lavender