Education IT Spending, Fueled by Telecom, To Top $56 Billion by 2012

In the United States, IT spending in education will reach $47.7 billion by the end of this year and is expected to top $56 billion by 2012, according to a new report from Compass Intelligence, an IT consultancy and market research firm. This growth in education - both K-12 and higher ed - is being fueled in particular by expenditures in telecommunications, collaborative technologies, and outsourced IT services.