Red Hackle,
I thought that some specs that would be good to look for might help:
If you want long battery life:
Intel Centrino
If you want great performance:
AMD Athlon64
Screen Size:
15.4" wide screen
Optical Drive:
DVD+/-RW
Video Card:
Radeon Mobility 9600
Hard Drive:
60Gb or higher
RAM:
512Mb
Wireless Network:
802.11g
Any computer either Centrino or my personal favorite, Athlon64, with those specs will make your daughter very happy for the time she is in school.
Take Care,
Richard