5,000 MacBooks arrive in Kansas City schools
updated 05:40 pm EST, Wed November 7, 2007
5,000 MacBooks for Kansas
The Kansas City School District has launched the largest distribution of laptops in the metro area, according to the Kansas City Star, with 5,000 MacBooks being handed out to high school students for use at school as well as at home. Apple struck a deal with the District earlier this year, leasing all 5,000 devices to help students prepare for college. "It's actually here -- the day we have been waiting for," said Mary Stewart, an instructional coach at Wyandotte High School. "Classrooms in Kansas City, Kansas, high schools will never be the same after today."
The laptop deal aims to ensure students have computers to make up for many who don't currently have access to such systems at home, helping those students to keep up with technology while also providing a valuable resource for learning. Each student is also provided with a backpack to tote the device, which they can choose from a variety of models.
"Laptop computers will help us to teach each student at their instructional level, so that they can find success," said district administrator Susan Engelmann.
Students are required to abide by a set of rules when using the laptops, according to the report, and the devices feature anti-theft measures which include special stickers that will virtually destroy the notebooks upon removal. A GPS tracking device is also used to help locate devices in the event of a theft, and as a last resort district officials can use a remote device to destroy the hard drive.
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Confusing info
While I love that this is happening in my area, the article gives the impression that this is happening in the major metropolitan school district of the area. It isn't.
The major school district of the area is that of Kansas City, MISSOURI, a system so flawed that the Federal Courts decertified it years ago, threatened to take over running operations. It has been plagued by corruption and mismanagement.
This past election Tuesday, neighboring cities sued and won the right for citizens to vote and choose to leave the tragically flawed Kansas City, Mo. school district. Citizens voted to get out of the KC, MO district by and 8:1 ratio.
The much smaller Kansas City, KANSAS school district (across the state line) is the forward-thinking group getting the MacBooks. Unfortunately, their school district is fraught with other issues not conducive to learning: urban blight, high taxes, low employment, & high crime statistics.