“In closing, I would like to end with a little story I recently came across that occurred at a junior high school out west that I think gives a revealing glimpse of what I’m talking about here. A new computer system was installed in this school specifically because its students had scored in the lowest statewide percentiles in every subject. Now, computers certainly are not cure-alls, and they won’t cure what ails our public schools. But, interestingly, when the computers were installed, many of these kids’ rankings and test scores went up.”

“The most touching story was about a kid named Raymond, who had every problem in the book - a dysfunctional home, acute shyness, bad eyesight and zero academic performance. But in one semester with the computer, Raymond had a remarkable turn around. His math achievement scores rose from a second-grade level to a junior-high level. They got Raymond in front of a camera for an interview and asked how it was that he blossomed so magnificently. “Well, he said, “the kids here call me ‘retard’, but the computer calls me Raymond.”

“So simple, so easy and yet so remarkable.”

Closing of message delivered to the Securities Industry Association - 6/01 Bill Esrey, President - Sprint

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