The "missing link" between home and schools--communications--may finally be solved through a very practical technology called the INTERNET. For anyone using it regularly for the first time, the most common comment is "WOW--it's opened up a whole new world for me!"

And that is exactly what the "STUDENTS OF TOMORROW" program hopes to implement between parents and teachers (schools).

In Orange County, California, the County Department of Education is now designing and implementing a high-tech link between the county centralized computer system and the schools in all twenty-eight school districts.

Teachers make daily input into the County computer, through their in-class terminal giving the students assignments; daily homework; review and make up requirements; test scores; class grades; report cards; progress reports; student project due dates; teacher comments; attendance records; classroom presentations; and student Homework Help Hot Lines, are all available to each student and their parents with just a click on the Internet.

Sounds too good to be true, but this system is now in-place in many areas across the country.

Instead of teachers recording all that information in their grade books, they punch it into their classroom computer, which is connected to the County centralized computer system and the Internet link.

That information is immediately available to parents as they get home from work at five or six o'clock. Within minutes a parent can access all this information on their home computer. This is the ultimate in school/parent communication. If a parent needs an in person consultation, with the teacher, the teacher's schedule is available to find an open time--all without a trip to the school or even a phone call!

No more students ditching school without parental knowledge, or forgetting homework, or mis-representing grades and progress. A student's progress toward the High Achievement Awards program is available at any moment for both child, parent and teacher.

Some Problems and Solutions

Confidentiality is a concern of all parties. Could a computer hacker get personal student data off the main computer? No, as long as the parent or student keeps the personal identification and access password (that only the parent has) confidential

If a parent still worries, the school can make that student's records inaccessible on the centralized computer.

The identification number and password system, however, would make the student's grades more secure than most credit cards, or bank accounts, would be, experts say.

Kent School District in Washington state has been running a similar system for two years, very successfully.

The major temporary problem is that parents without a home computer could not yet conveniently access this information that every parent wants to know about. They would have to get a campus appointment, tying up hours of school-time and parent-time.

Conclusion

The Internet is the new communication medium that promotes the longed for and long awaited two-way communication system between families and schools.

The Internet will soon be an extension of the school classroom.. Television has long been herald as that reality, but it's just now becoming on-line in a few areas.

The television connection to the Internet via the local cable hook-up holds great promise, also since almost ninety-five percent of all homes are said to have a television and only 40%-60% of (depending on areas) homes use home computers.

A very serious teacher training program must take place for the Internet's school-to-home information system to work efficiently.

Costs are often high! The Kent School District spent $6.8 million to pay for laying cable and wiring and establishing the local network. They now budget $30,000 annually to cover Internet costs.

Ideally, a school district could offer the Internet school-to-home link on both computer and television. That would cover almost every home access.