Comments from Superintendent Parkins, Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak, and Governor Ed Rendell

"We cannot prepare the Technology Generation to be the innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs of the 21st century just using chalk and blackboards," Governor Rendell said. "Classrooms for the Future will not only help to boost achievement while our students are still in high school, but they will be primed for success in college and beyond, especially in fields that require advanced skills with computers and technology.

"If we are to adequately prepare our students to effectively compete in the global marketplace, we must transform how they learn and how teachers teach," the Governor added. "The schools selected for the first year of Classrooms for the Future will serve as a model to the hundreds of schools we intend to fund through this program over the next three years."

"The world has changed so much since Superintendent Parkins and I were in high school," Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak said. "Back then, chalkboards and textbooks were sufficient for teachers to provide a quality education, but if today's students are to be provided with a high-quality education that will ensure success in the high-tech global marketplace, we need to invest in programs that give them a leg up on the competition. Classrooms for the Future is that type of program."