LYNN – Since the first day of school in the first school house in the country, parents have been looking for answers to one of life’s most mysterious questions.Usually the first inquiry presented when a child walks through the front door, “What did you do at school today?” is answered with a variety of nondescript statements from “nothing” to “I don’t know,” but thanks to a new computer software program students at the North Shore Christian School in Lynn will have a tough time dodging the question this year.The small, private elementary and middle school has recently implemented the use of the Edline.net computer program, an Internet-based program that allows parents confidential access to Web pages set up for each class their student takes.Similar to the type of class Web sites college professors use, parents can visit the sites and look at homework assignments, the syllabus, test schedules and class projects and receive email notifications when a new bulletin is posted.Each teacher’s page is private, and can only be accessed by parents of students enrolled in the class. The school recently sent out user names and passwords to each family, which allow access to the Edline.net Web site and a look into each class Web page.The software is nothing new, some public schools like North Reading have similar programs in place, but it is new to NSCS and will help the school achieve its goal of total parent involvement.”It meets a lot of needs in one package,” said Headmaster Martin Trice. “Parents and teachers now have the ability to communicate together on a consistent and accurate basis. There is a lot of talk in education about teachers partnering with parents, and when a child is accepted here we tell the parents this is not just the child, the family is a part of this, too.”Along with lesson plans, newsletters and homework assignments, Trice said parents will eventually be able to access their child’s grades through the Web site as well, something that will allow for proactive rather than reactive education.”It changes the paradigm in schools, for so long education has always been reactive,” said Trice. “You get the report card and see the student got a bad grade. This allows a proactive approach, parents and teachers can get into the problems while there is still time to do something about it.”Trice also enjoys the new software because, in the end, it will help the school save money and reduce the amount of waste that it produces on a yearly basis.”I would like to eventually see the hard copies go away,” he said. “It helps us with cost, and it helps the environment.”The program is something that many expect to be standard at schools in the near future, and is one of many technological advancements that have helped the education industry become more interactive. The problem, especially for public schools operating on a limited state-allocated budget, is that technology is both expensive and always changing.Trice said the Edline.net program was one of the more modestly-priced programs, based on a yearly subscription, but has already won over the school staff because it actually works and is easy to use, unlike many pieces of new technology that tend to confuse the user and break down frequently.”This is going to be interesting, it is still a new medium for a lot of families,” he said. “As a parent, I wish I had something like this when my boys were in school.”