News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 2, 2000
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

K-20 Network gives students consistent access to digital learning tools

OLYMPIA - Now that the state has completed its telecommunications network linking schools across the state, new high school graduates will find at least one familiar thing if they choose to continue their education at any of the state's public colleges and universities this fall.

Washington's award-winning educational telecommunications network has supplied most of the state's public higher education institutions with access to the Internet, distance learning, videoconferencing and other digital learning tools since 1997. At the end of December, the state Department of Information Services completed the network's largest step: connecting nearly 300 public K-12 school districts and other higher-education campuses.

"For the first time, Washington students will have access to a consistent level of learning throughout their public school years, from kindergarten to graduate school, whether they're in Forks or Zillah or Seattle," said Gov. Gary Locke. "Completing this step of the network moves us closer to making our public schools the nation's best."

Established by legislators in 1996, the K-20 Network brought educational sectors, legislators and technology companies together to connect Washington's schools and bring them online without duplicating costly facilities and services.

The network, which was on time and $6.6 million under budget, already has spurred the creation of innovative learning opportunities. Hearing-impaired children learn to read and write via video-conferencing. High school students take classes by video to get a running start on college. And the state's universities let community college graduates earn a business degree using interactive video and online instruction.

The network, built using private-sector infrastructure, has led to a rise in advanced telecommunications infrastructure in rural Washington, letting companies that need high-bandwidth network applications to be in places they might not have considered before.

» Return to this month's News Releases
» View News Release Archive

Access Washington