Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : 50% of U.S. Schools Linked to Internet

Half of the nation’s public schools have hooked up to the Internet, up from 35% a year earlier, the Education Department said. Schools with many minority or low-income students are connecting too, but at a slower pace, a government survey says. The survey of 917 schools found that minority and low-income students are less likely to have classroom access to the Internet. Even though 50% of public schools had at least some Internet access, only 9% of classrooms were connected. But even that was progress; only 3% of classrooms had access in 1994.