I agree 100% with this, I spent some effort with my local LUG (WYLUG) to put together a 'Schools Page' and wrote to a few local schools presenting ourselves and offer support and information if they wanted it.
So far we have not heard anything back - I guess that they are either not interested or simply are too busy coping with the other problems that they have in school.
I wrote to some local schools offering Linux setup services as a private individual, guess what - none wrote back. Snap! I did manage to arrange a meeting with someone at a school in Slough, he said it sounded "intriguing" and that was the end of that.
Eventually I hooked up with Nigel Pauli of St John's School in Northwood near Pinner, London. He is tremendously enthusiastic, very committed to
the
free software movement, and of course I met him at a LUG.
Perhaps it's hard to convince skeptical people they should "buy" free software, in both senses of the word, because the motivation needs to come from within
Its also hard to market anything - even free stuff - to people you don't know. RM are a good example. Successful in the schools market, much more so than any of the bigger rivals who are more successful in their business markets. Why? Its down to relationships and knowledge of the market. Once one brand is established its hard to displace it, not impossible but it takes time. -- IanL