Looking for stylus driven 'education software' for Windows 7

Here is my challenge - I'm in the testing phase of building and deploying some Thinkpad x61's with Win7 in my school district. I'm trying to battle the pressing onslaught of 'we want an ipad' and all that nonsense. These are the first tablet style devices we've ever owned, so I'm not at all familiar with what is out there in this category.

What I'm looking for:

• Stylus driven education software
• Free is great
• Low cost is helpful
• Looking for software for use in K-12 setting
• Any app that can be deployed via Group Policy or SCCM is a huge plus

iPads and the like are good consumer products at best, but they simply aren't manageable in the way Windows is. I'd love to be able to show the administration that the x61 or similar can outperform the overpriced ipad.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!