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To: Barbara Means

From: Austin Lasseter

Date: November 18, 2009

Topic: Linux in K-12 Schools

This brief contains:


  • Short summary document (pages 2-3):

  1. Proliferation

  2. Trends



  • Detailed outline with links for further investigation (pages 4-11):

  1. Introduction

  2. Description

    1. What is Linux?

    2. What is Linux in schools?

    3. Advantages of using K-12 Linux

  3. Proliferation of Linux in schools

    1. Developing countries

    2. USA

      1. States

      2. Districts

      3. Schools

  4. Controversies

    1. Technology in schools has no impact on student learning

    2. 1-to-1 laptop programs are a failure

    3. In spite of huge cost savings, many schools resist Linux and open source

  5. Key Players

  6. Resource articles

Linux in K-12 Schools

Mac and Windows are currently the dominant operating systems (OS) in schools,

but Linux is poised to gain a broad share of the educational IT market in the next four years.

– Datamonitor, 2008 Report on Open Source in Schools



  1. Proliferation of Linux in Schools:

    1. Outside the USA

      1. Linux dominates educational IT outside the USA, especially in developing countries.

      2. Brazil is the largest educational Linux provider in the world, with over 350,000 workstations.

      3. Uruguay, Peru, Macedonia, Russia, and Japan are among many countries that have switched much or all of their schools to Linux in an effort to cut costs and increase availability.

      4. The OLCP program has been a driving factor behind Linux spread in developing countries’ schools.

    2. USA: Three state-wide programs

      1. Maine has the nation’s largest & most successful 1:1 laptop program. Although Linux is not mandatory, the program strongly encourages open source as a way to reduce cost.

      2. Indiana instituted a state-wide 1:1 laptop program called INAccess. From 2004-2009 the program mandated Linux in all K-12 schools.

      3. Illinois is in the process of enacting a state-wide “Low-Cost Laptop Act” that includes a large portion of Linux-based OX computers from OLCP.

    3. USA: Many districts and cities have converted

      1. Birmingham, Alabama: recently provided 15,000 Linux workstations in schools.

      2. Atlanta, GA: 30 schools have switched to Linux.

      3. San Diego, CA: Entire district converted to SUSE Linux desktops.

      4. New York City: Department of Education is accelerating a plan that would make low-cost Linux laptops available to all principals for purchase by the end of 2009.

      5. Michigan City, IN: Possibly the most successful district-wide deployment of Linux and open source in the country.

      6. River Dale, OR: entire district uses Linux servers for school computer labs. District IT leader founded K12LTSP, an organization which helps other school districts convert.

      7. Windsor, CA: entire district converts to Linux: 70 schools and 5,000 workstations.



  1. Trends in K-12 Linux

    1. Why schools like Linux:

      1. Cost-savings. Linux can be self-installed for free or commercially installed for a very low cost. Installing Windows or Mac OS on a school computer costs hundreds of dollars.

      2. Linux is a long-term investment because it does not require purchasing costly upgrades every few years such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

      3. Linux is more stable than Windows (it doesn’t crash all the time) and does not require as much maintenance, installing patches, etc.

    2. As more schools move to “thin client” workstations, they are likely to switch to Linux.

      1. Thin clients are multiple stations that rely on a server for almost all processing and software.

      2. Thin clients are increasingly popular as a model for K-12 computer labs.

      3. Although Linux trails Mac and Windows as the OS for desktop computers, it is a leader in the server industry, and therefore in the thin client market.

    3. As more schools embrace netbooks, they are likely to switch to Linux.

      1. Netbooks’ low cost and easy maintenance suggest that they may become schools’ hardware of choice (over desktops and laptops) in the near future.

      2. Linux already has 32% of the market share of commercial netbooks.

    4. Linux is a key part of two broader trends in ed tech: OER and 1-to-1 student laptop programs.

      1. Schools that adopt other open resources or open software (like Moodle and OpenOffice) may also adopt Linux because it follows the “open” philosophy.

      2. Financial constraints are the biggest obstacle to achieving a 1:1 ratio. By using a free Linux OS instead of Mac or Windows, schools can reduce the cost of 1:1 programs.

LINUX IN SCHOOLS: Detailed Outline

  1. Introduction

    1. What are we talking about? Linux in schools.

    2. Why is this important? Saves money, increasingly popular.

    3. Overview: http://n3v3rl4nd.wikispaces.com/file/view/Open+Source+in+K-12+Schools.pdf

  2. Description

    1. What is Linux?

      1. A free/low-cost operating system to compete with Windows & Mac.

      2. Actually Linux/GNU, but called Linux for short (Linux is kernel of GNU).

      3. Linux flavors

        1. A GNU/Linux operating system is made of a Linux kernel, a set of GNU tools, an installation program, a package management system and a lot of other software components. http://www.linuxforums.org/articles/overview-of-the-ten-major-linux-distributions_92.html

        2. Since 1993, a lot of people and companies have been distributing Linux operating systems. These distributions made it easy for people to get and to install a working GNU/Linux system on their personal computer.

        3. Over 350. The website http://www.distrowatch.com lists more than 350 active distributions and reports new releases almost every day.

        4. All distributions include the Linux kernel developed by Linus Torvalds and the GNU tools developed by Richard Stallman but they don't necessarily use their latest versions.

        5. 10 most common distros: Debian, Slackware, Fedora/Red Hat, Mandriva, Suse, Ubuntu, Knoppix, Gentoo, Mepis, Xandros.

        6. In 2004 a distribution which was never heard of before, quickly became the most popular and famous of all distributions: Ubuntu. Based on the "Unstable" branch of Debian, Ubuntu features a fast release cycle, up to date and numerous packages, fast download mirrors, great documentation and even free shipment of CDs.

        7. Since its creation, Ubuntu has been the most popular GNU/Linux distribution and every single release is better than the previous one.

      4. IT industry world-wide is trending toward Linux

        1. Already widespread on servers, now moving to desktops http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS5369154346.html

        2. Microsoft going open source to compete with Linux http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2009/11/18/microsoft-goes-open-source-mobile-framework.htm

        3. Net books: Linux may increase to 50% market share http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2009/05/linux-to-regain-50-netbook-mar.html

        4. Thin clients, cloud computing

        5. Open Source Momentum To Be Fueled by Cost Cutting http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/08/10/Forecast-Cost-Cutting-Will-Drive-Open-Source-Growth.aspx?sc_lang=en&Page=1

        6. Free Cloud Computing Environment Launches http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/04/15/free-cloud-computing-environment-launches.aspx?sc_lang=en

        7. IBM To Team with Linux Vendors on 'Microsoft-Free' PCs http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/08/07/ibm-to-team-with-linux-vendors-on-microsoftfree-pcs.aspx?sc_lang=en

        8. Linux owns 32 percent of netbook market, says study http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS5114054156.html

        9. Ubuntu 9.10 final ships as IBM spins Ubuntu-based cloud distro http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS9754056940.html

    2. Linux in Schools

      1. Broader K-12 Tech trends

        1. OS: Linux Ubuntu…

        2. Software: Moodle, OpenOffice

          1. Moodle: http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/04/01/got-moodle.aspx?sc_lang=en

        3. Textbooks & OER

        4. 1-to-1 student laptop programs

          1. A review of 1-1 laptop programs in USA http://www.olpcnews.com/commentary/academia/laptop_programs_in_america.html

      2. Linux K-12 poised to surge

        1. Open Source Poised for Surge in Education http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/01/24/open-source-poised-for-surge-in-education.aspx?sc_lang=en

        2. Datamonitor also cited the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative as a possible driving factor for future growth of open source in education, particularly K-12 education….in the United States, the state of Alabama is purchasing 15,000 OLPC laptops for students in elementary and middle schools. http://about.datamonitor.com/media/archives/825

        3. Understanding the potential technical pitfalls of open source in the education market http://www.datamonitor.com/store/Product/understanding_the_potential_technical_pitfalls_of_open_source_in_the_education_market_technology_focus?productid=BFTC1817

        4. Unlikely Bedfellows - Open Source Initiatives and Commercial Vendors in the Education Market (Review Report) http://www.datamonitor.com/store/Product/unlikely_bedfellows_open_source_initiatives_and_commercial_vendors_in_the_education_market_review_report?productid=DMTC2150

        5. Linux-ready netbook touted as "Student rugged" http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2973358826.html

        6. Mike Schmedlen, education industry executive for Lenovo believes that Linux adoption in schools is on the rise, in part because Linux PCs work well with educational management software like Blackboard and the open source Moodle course management stack. He commented, "We're seeing a groundswell movement toward Linux and open source in education. Schools want to supply a twenty-first century computing environment." http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS5933193315.html

        7. 55 Ways to Bring Open Source into Education http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/6812/1/

        8. Educational Institutions Doing Homework on Open Source Software http://ostatic.com/blog/educational-institutions-doing-homework-on-open-source-software

        9. Open source software on rise in schools http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/technology-without-breaking-the-bank/technology-without-breaking-the-bank-articles/index.cfm?rc=1&i=36358

    3. Advantages of using K-12 Linux

      1. Cost: Indiana District Funds Classroom Makeovers with Open Source Savings: http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/06/10/indiana-district-funds-classroom-makeovers-with-open-source-savings.aspx?sc_lang=en

      2. The cost-savings factor for Linux is tremendous. Linux can be installed either for free or for a low cost through a commercial vendor such as Red Hat. Installing Windows or Mac OS on a school computer costs hundreds of dollars.

      3. Linux is a long-term investment because purchasing costly upgrades every few years such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

      4. Linux is more stable than Windows and does not require as much maintenance, installing patches, etc.

  3. Proliferation of Linux in schools

    1. Developing countries

      1. On top of that there, of course, is the rolling release of the One Laptop per Child's XO (aka the $100 laptop). Libya, Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, and Thailand have all expressed interest in this inexpensive Linux-powered student laptop.

      2. Brazil: http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2824724304.html

      3. Brazil: http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS9272932512.html

      4. Brazil: At the end of last year I wrote about a big Brazilian project to provide 150,000 GNU/Linux notebooks for schools. Now the Brazilian Ministry of Education has topped that by ordering 324,000 "green" workstations running on GNU/Linux. http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2009/02/now-brazil-goes-big-on-gnulinux-desktop.html

      5. Indeed, outside the U.S. Linux and open-source has gained considerable popularity for use in schools. Macedonia is switching all its school computers to a thin-client Ubuntu-based system. Russia has announced plans to switch its academic PCs to Linux. And, Japan is currently experimenting with Linux in the classroom.

      6. 12,500 Indian high schools move to Linux Sep. 01, 2006 http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS6309151740.html

      7. Venezuela to Provide Children with 50,000 Mini Laptops http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4672

      8. just in case you were wondering how many schools use Linux in the nation of Macedonia, it's 100%: http://www.ubuntu.com/news/macedonia-school-computers

      9. Uruguay has a large deployment of OLCP OX-1 laptops running Linux.

    2. USA Examples

      1. States

        1. Indiana

          1. Mandates Linux in all K-12 schools in the state

          2. Indiana is clearly the hotspot for this issue. In 2005 they started a program to provide a laptop to every high school student in the state, and in order to pay for this they decided to make Linux & opensource software the norm. They started with 1600 Linux OS laptops and now they've raised it to 33,000 high school students with Linux laptops.

          3. 2005: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=36515&CFID=22160244&CFTOKEN=85193756

          4. 2006: http://education.zdnet.com/?p=107

          5. 2009: http://www.schoolcio.com/showarticle/980

          6. http://www.doe.in.gov/olt/InACCESS/index.html.

          7. http://www.doe.in.gov/olt/InACCESS/about_inaccess.html

        2. Maine

          1. 2003 article: The state of Linux in Maine: David Trask http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT8952848817.html

          2. Recent 7-page article on Maine: http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/09/09/1-to-1-Computing.aspx?Page=1

          3. Maine's program has emerged as one of the leading 1-to-1 computing initiatives in the world.

          4. The work Maine has done with its teachers on integrating the laptops is regarded as the foundation of the initiative's success.

          5. The Maine program also saves money, Gendron says, by embracing open source. "There's a wealth of open tools and content available online today," she says. "We help teachers through our professional development to learn about these resources and how they can integrate them into their instructional practices."

          6. Mao cites the Open Educational Resources Commons project as an example of the types of free education tools Maine is working to bring into its 1-to-1 model. The OER Commons provides academic materials that may be used and reused without charge. "[Open source] has the potential to change how we deal with content, which then leads to different practices," Mao says. "We're still focusing so much of our work around traditional media sources. Kids in most 1-to-1 programs, including ours, still have math books."

        3. Illinois

          1. Illinois lowcost laptop act http://www.olpcnews.com/people/leadership/olpc_america_action_needed.html

      2. Districts

        1. Birmingham

          1. Alabama gets 15,000 OLPC laptops http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/usa/olpc_alabama_wintel_blame.html

          2. Birmingham OLPC: http://olpcnyc.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/birmingham-goes-11/

        2. Michigan City

          1. Possibly the most advanced and successful district-wide installation of Linux in the country

          2. http://n3v3rl4nd.wikispaces.com/file/view/opensource+Kevin+McGuire.pdf

        3. Atlanta

          1. as of September 2008, over 30 Atlanta schools have been converted and now use Linux thin clients with a 2:1 student to PC ratio. http://www.gosef.org/

        4. San Diego

          1. 'Installfest' Brings Open Source Tools to Northern California Schools http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/02/27/installfest-brings-open-source-tools-to-northern-california-schools.aspx?sc_lang=en

          2. San Diego schools pick SUSE Linux desktop http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS5336100320.html

          3. Calif. school district aims 5,000 desktops at Linux Mar. 06, 2007 http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS4958455863.html

          4. San Diego rolls out laptops with Linux http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=46376&CFID=22160244&CFTOKEN=85193756

        5. NYC

          1. NYC gets OLPC: http://www.nysun.com/new-york/low-price-laptops-tested-at-city-schools/86861/

          2. Teaching Matters is the org that provides the OLPC training: http://www.teachingmatters.org/

          3. NYC: http://www.nysun.com/new-york/low-price-laptops-tested-at-city-schools/86861/

          4. OLPC in NYC: http://olpcnyc.wordpress.com/

        6. River Dale

          1. The Riverdale School District in Portland, Oregon is a ready example and already well documented.

          2. plan: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfjkb3xg_3f93kw5c5

      3. Individual schools

        1. Hawaii Open Source Education Foundation

        2. Xavier is the latest K-12 school to move Ubuntu Linux to the head of the class. http://www.workswithu.com/2008/11/25/xavier-school-deploys-600-ubuntu-linux-desktops/

    3. Key players in the K-12 Open Source movement

  4. Controversies

    1. Technology in schools: the debate

      1. Research shows tech has no impact on student learning (NY Times)

      2. In 2007, the United States Department of Education released a study showing no difference in academic achievement between students who used educational software programs for math and reading and those who did not. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/

      3. Response

    2. 1-to-1 laptop programs are a failure

      1. Liverpool Central School District, located near Syracuse, NY dropped its 1-to-1 laptop program. Parents and teachers celebrated.

      2. It actually had no impact at all on student achievement. We did lots of studies, and it was clear that the technology wasn't being used to enhance learning.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/education/04laptop.html

      1. Federal education officials do not keep track of how many schools have such programs, but two educational consultants, Hayes Connection and the Greaves Group, conducted a study of the nation’s 2,500 largest school districts last year and found that a quarter of the 1,000 respondents already had one-to-one computing, and fully half expected to by 2011.

      2. In one of the largest ongoing studies, the Texas Center for Educational Research, a nonprofit group, has so far found no overall difference on state test scores between 21 middle schools where students received laptops in 2004, and 21 schools where they did not, though some data suggest that high-achieving students with laptops may perform better in math than their counterparts without.

      3. Mark Warschauer, an education professor at the University of California at Irvine and author of “Laptops and Literacy: Learning in the Wireless Classroom” (Teachers College Press, 2006), also found no evidence that laptops increased state test scores in a study of 10 schools in California and Maine from 2003 to 2005.

    1. Why aren’t more schools adopting Linux?

      1. Reasons why schools avoid linux: link

      2. “The number of instances that you hear of in regards to actual full on Linux and Open Source adoption in schools is few and far between, even though the number of schools supporting both is on the rise, albeit slowly.” http://www.raiden.net/articles/linux_in_education_athens_schools/1/

      3. BBC: Open source question for schools http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7847377.stm

      4. As lofty as all the goals above are, I doubt if we'll see schools adopt Linux, open source and the concept of a computer for every kid anytime soon. For one thing, just as the paperless office never quite took shape, it's even harder to get schools and teachers to consider going paperless. There are also long-standing prejudicial attitudes among school administrators http://ostatic.com/blog/more-ways-that-open-source-could-benefit-schools

      5. Microsoft & Intel are blocking it – don’t want to lose market share. it seems somebody leaked an internal memo from Microsoft outlining their policy of capturing the educational market and boxing out Linux from schools:
        http://boycottnovell.com/2009/01/10/edgi-continued-dumping-vs-gnu/

  1. Key players

    1. Open Minds Convention: the “must attend” event of the year for K-12 Linux http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS4224026697.html

    2. K12LTSP installs Linux servers in schools: http://www.k12ltsp.org/contents.html

    3. The National Center for Open Source and Education: http://www.ncose.org/

    4. Some awards for K-12 open source leadership: http://www.ncose.org/node/37

    5. Steve Hargadon is a national leader in K-12 open source: http://www.classroom20.com/profile/SteveHargadon

    6. Revolution Linux has outfitted 22 districts in Canada with Linux servers, and also 1 district in the USA (Michigan City): http://www.revolutionlinux.com/

    7. One Laptop per Child (OLPC)

      1. OLPC: nice quick summary by Scholastic http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749223

      2. Excellent PDF on OLPC: http://pcic.merage.uci.edu/papers/2009/OneLaptop.pdf

      3. OLPC News http://www.olpcnews.com/

      4. Staff cuts at OLPC: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/07/olpc-refocuses-its-mission-cuts-staff-by-50/

      5. OLPC America http://www.pcworld.com/article/141298/one_laptop_per_child_project_extends_to_american_students.html

      6. OLPC: what went wrong? http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/353311/olpc-what-went-wrong

      7. OLPC splits up into 3 groups: http://www.olpcnews.com/commentary/refocusing/anyone_home_at_1cc_-_olpcs_hea.html

      8. OLPC: Microsoft frees poor children from Linux struggles http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2751728126.html

  2. Key resource articles

    1. Overview of 1-to-1 computing initiatives:

http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/09/09/1-to-1-Computing.aspx?Page=1

    1. Overview of Open Source in K-12: http://n3v3rl4nd.wikispaces.com/file/view/Open+Source+in+K-12+Schools.pdf

    2. Excellent PDF on OLPC: http://pcic.merage.uci.edu/papers/2009/OneLaptop.pdf


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