The debate over the use of computers in public education dates back to at least 1983, when the federally appointed National Commission on Excellence in Education issued its report A Nation at Risk, which harshly criticized the failures of the U.S. educational system and tied them to the nation's economic problem: "Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world. . . . The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very virtues as a Nation and a people." The report concluded, "We must dedicate ourselves to the reform of our educational system for the benefit of all."

The warnings of A Nation at Risk came at a time when Americans were beginning to embrace computer technology. IBM had just released the first personal computer in 1981; the company sold 6 million...