With the Internet, it doesn't matter much if the parent's home service is CompuServe, America On-Line, or any other commercial service. The mail will flow. Networking will eventually save schools costs in paper, storage, secretarial time, physical mail delivery, long distance phone bills etc. This won't happen if only half the district is networked, and it won't happen right away. Information in hierarchical organizations tends to flow only one way - down.
Networks tend to flatten out communication patterns.
Information from teachers, principals, parents, and even students can help district administrators make better decisions. The benchmark for the success of the networks will be when a second grader e-mails the superintendent a school improvement suggestion. Internet use will help improve reading, writing, and higher level thinking skills. Al Rogers, a pioneer of early telecomputing projects, observes that children enjoy writing more and are more careful when they write for electronic publication. Our schools must give students practice solving the kinds of problems they'll find at work using the kinds of resources they'll have as adults.