Education Department to offer $35 billion in grants

Elementary and secondary education programs are in for $35 billion in grants from the Department of Education, according to a report by the Reston, Va.-based market research firm Input Inc.

The funds will be used to buy computer equipment to provide to students with Internet access and to build training tools, such as online learning courses, to help teachers become more proficient in using information technology.

Sixty percent of the funds, or $21.2 billion, will be earmarked for state governments through the No Child Left Behind Act. Since President Bush signed the act nearly two years ago, elementary and secondary education funding has risen 19 percent, Input said.

"As a result of the act, many information technology programs have been created to help children receive a better education in mathematics and reading and to improve teacher quality," said Meredith Luttner, Input's manager of market development services.

In the report, Input said California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas will receive the most grant funding for K-12 education in fiscal 2003 and 2004.

The purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act is to make sure every child in the nation gets a quality education, regardless of background. Luttner said state-supported schools will rely heavily on the funding and on IT companies that can provide the tools to meet the act's primary goal: ensuring all students reach proficiency goals by the 2013-14 school year.