Well-trained teachers needed for computers

Hawaii's fourth grade math teachers are second in the nation at using computers to improve their student' test scores, but our eighth-grade teachers rank 35th out of 40, according to an Educational Testing Service report.

However, with eighth-graders, computers are best utilized for spreadsheets and simulations, which require more training for teachers than games. As a result, only 13 percent of school, less than half the national average, provide such instruction.

Hawai`i has the potential to become a leader n elementary school computer education, since it has one of the highest computer to student ratios in the country and has every school connected to the Internet.

In order to insure a better life for our children. we must make sure they have the highest rates of computer literacy in the nation.

We already have the capability to use the hardware; with well-trained educators who can teach the software, we should position our kids for success in the years ahead.