On March 9, 1996, when NetDay was launched, our goal was simple: to wire all the schools in California to the Internet. On a single day, 100,000 Californians responded to their schools' requests for help. This call to action changed the future for 5,000 California schools and started a global movement that has impacted nearly every state and many countries. Parents, who worked in the technology industry lent their expertise, helping with technology planning and installation at their children's schools. Corporate sponsors paid for wiring kits, offered free Internet access, email accounts and software, and donated hardware components. The government contributed surplus computers to individual schools, and union workers donated time and expertise on cable wiring.

On this one Saturday five years ago, more than five times the number of volunteers who registered at www.netday.org showed up at their local schools to work. One elementary school had 200 volunteers who came not only to work, but to also talk about what direction the school should take with technology integration. This renewal of community involvement centered on the primary institution for preparing our children for the future: our schools. NetDay brought parents back into the schools to experience life in the classroom again. Through the NetDay wiring events, communities were energized to pitch-in on the effort to link schools to schools, and communities to schools.