In addition, this year, more than ever, we have seen an outpouring of support for our schools. Parents, businesses, government leaders and community members all over the country are focusing attention on our schools, and much of this attention is positive. People in communities everywhere are finally starting to realize the importance of providing our children with the best education possible. Furthermore, many people now understand the important role technology can play, if we provide children with greater access to computers and the Internet in their classrooms.
Both President Clinton and Vice President Gore have led the way by making technology literacy and the education of our children national priorities. The Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, Technology Innovation Challenge Grants and Federal Communications Commission's approval of the e-rate discount on telecommunications services to schools and libraries are providing significant funding to help America's schools be the best in the world and prepare children for the rapidly approaching 21st Century.
In addition, businesses are stepping up to the challenges by providing greater attention and support to K-12 schools than ever before. Volunteers throughout the United States have been helping install wiring in thousands of schools during NetDays, providing thousands of dollars in donated labor and materials. Plus, we learned first hand just how many people are willing to get involved to help our children learn with the first year of the Our Town Initiative.
Samer Bahou, a student intern at the Foundation, went behind the scenes of Our Town and spoke with many of the wonderful people who led the project in their communities last year. Many had delightful stories to share; some brought tears to our eyes; but all took on the challenge, got their students involved in this exciting initiative and launched a Web site for their town. We hope you enjoy learning about their experiences, will be as inspired as we were by their results and will join in this year with your students.
With all the momentum today and so much support, it's a wonderful time for our schools, but we still have a lot to do. To harness the available resources takes commitment and planning. To qualify for the e-rate and grants, schools must have a vision of how technology can improve the quality of children's learning; they must have a technology plan. To garner the support of businesses and the community takes leadership, organization and communication. And to implement the effective use of technology in our classrooms takes commitment to rethinking our teaching objectives, curriculum and methods and commitment to on-going professional development and helping of others to learn.
The Computer Learning Foundation is committed to helping you meet these challenges. This year, you'll find information on the new e-rate, research and materials to help your school develop a vision and technology plan and lots of materials to help integrate technology into classroom activities. You'll also find Computer Learning Month 1997 contests which emphasize technology planning, ethical use of technology and involving students in the creation and expansion of Web sites for their towns.
With all the opportunities technology is offering our children and all the support schools are attracting, we know this can be a great year for our schools. And if we all meet the challenge, what a great time to be a kid!