By the end of the century, technology could allow all Americans access to the organized information and knowledge of our civilization. The television set cum computer chip could be linked by broadband networks or in other ways to archieves of digitized information, including text, sound and moving images. Such a development would hold profound educational and unique educational opportunity; examine the educational and social benefits of this development for new and existing learners; and conduct and disseminate the results of this inquiry in a way that alerts public and private decision-makers to actions that can affect this unique opportunity. Specifically, this activity will: o synthesize what is presently known about factors affecting the development and cost of the digital home terminal; switched broadband communications to the home, school and work place; and public and commercial digital databases; o assess the educational and social benefits of a national information infrastructure for use in and outside of school; and describe new options for public and private financing of this infrastructure for educational use; o develop descriptions of a series of contingent options for getting from here to there; o assess the effect on the direction and rate of development of the national information infrastructure, if public and private decision- makers were to take into account the educational needs that electronic information services could serve; o assess the reaction of affected educational constituencies, including reformist movements, to this new educational opportunity, and to effects on publicly-financed schooling; and strive actively during and at the onclusion of the study to disseminate the concept and results of this inquiry.
