Face it. Parents always want their children to succeed but also have plenty of apprehension about what little Billy is going to face when he enters the big, bad world of high school this fall.

Aside from concerns about fitting in, encounters with girls, bullies, demanding teachers, and tough coaches, you’re concerned about how good of an education Billy will be receiving. After all, college is just four short years away. What tools will Billy need to ensure he’s getting the best education possible and is prepared to go on to a rigorous college program?

Sure, a computer at home will make it easier for Billy to do his homework on the weekends and give him more access to the Internet, which, of course he’ll use only for learning purposes. But what about in the classroom? Should you give your freshman a shiny new Eee PC to take to school every day for note-taking?

There are several factors to consider in this decision. The most important one is whether your child's school even allows personal laptops on school grounds. We checked with several public and private high schools, and policies vary widely. Many schools, such as St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, flat-out ban them. If your child’s school does allow personal laptops, you’ll then have to ask about their network access policy. Almost every school and district we checked with has a strict policy regarding outside computers using their networks.

For example, Anthony McPhearson, director of Tech/XL in the Chicago Public Schools’ Information and Technology Services department said, “CPS does not have an enterprise policy that speaks directly to students accessing the CPS network while using their personal laptops in class. That decision is currently made at the school level by principals and their technology coordinators.” He also noted that there are strict rules for laptops that connect to the CPS network and that they must adhere to the same standards as the computers already in the schools.

“ITS [Information & Technology Services department] requires all network devices to comply with network standards in regard to remote manageability, virus protection, and adherence to naming standards. Both board-owned and personal computers are subject to this policy,” McPhearson explained.

Kathleen Novy, a technology coordinator at a CPS school, said that she would allow students to bring in a laptop for note-taking purposes but would not allow the computer to connect to the network due to security concerns. She also voiced concern about possible theft and who would be responsible if the computer needed repair during the school day. “I’m responsible for keeping over 250 computers throughout my school, including the 36 in my lab, up and running in addition to teaching classes. As much as I would like to help, I probably wouldn’t have time to fix a student’s personal laptop if it broke down at school.”

If you decide to get your child a laptop to bring to school every day, think about how the computer will be carried around. A notebook that gets sandwiched between books after class, shoved in a locker during lunch and kicked around in a backpack on the bus should be durable. If your child is involved in extra-curricular activities, remember that the notebook will likely travel with him to those, too.

The best thing to do is check out the tech situation at your child’s high school. Talk to the school’s technology coordinator or administrator. Ask what’s in their computer lab and their classrooms and what the computer-to-student ratio is. Find out their personal-laptop policy and what technical support, if any, is available to students who bring their own laptops. As with everything else, asking questions and getting involved is the best way to ensure your child will get a well-rounded high-school education and be ready for college.