Three Arlington classrooms will buck textbooks in favor of sleek new iPads, thanks to a state grant.
About 70 iPads will land in a fourth-grade social studies class at Drew Elementary and two world history/ESOL classes at Washington-Lee High School.
The iPads, which retail for about $499, are funded by the Governor’s Productivity Investment Fund to increase participation in the Virginia Department of Education’s “Beyond Textbooks” program.
Henry and Pulaski counties, as well as Newport News, will receive about 160 iPads (combined) as well.
“We’re definitely excited to get them,” said Frank Bellavia, spokesman for Arlington County Public Schools. Last year, the district did a study on Internet access and found that a small percentage of their students did not have access at home. “This was a way for us to bridge the gap,” Bellavia said.
The iPads will arrive in the next week or two, Bellavia said.
