MPR: Closing the Digital Divide in Schools

Closing the Digital Divide in Schools
By Tim Pugmire
Minnesota Public Radio
June 4, 2001

Recent national studies show many poor and minority students still lag behind when it comes to access to computers and the Internet. Officials in the Minneapolis school district say they moved closer to bridging the technology gap this year at three schools, with help from a federally-funded development project.

Students at Minneapolis North high school have more access to new computers, which were provided by a federally-funded program. The program is designed to improve access to technology for lower-income families who may not have computers at home.
(MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire)

IN THE LIBRARY AT MINNEAPOLIS NORTH HIGH SCHOOL, students use new laptop computers to exchange e-mail with the adult mentors at several local corporations. Teachers use this portable equipment to set up temporary computer labs in any available classroom. Ninth grader Trevor Crawford says he's spent more time using the computer in school this year than ever before.

"My average has gone up since we started doing this. I didn't really mess with the computer, but now we actually started getting in and they taught us how we can e-mail, and how we can talk to people over the Internet and things like that. It's been a lot more, maybe three or four hours a week writing and looking up stuff," says Crawford.

Like many North High students, Crawford has had to make the most of his access time in school because he doesn't have a computer at home. Now, the school is giving students the option of checking out laptop computers from the school for home use.

The Minneapolis Empowerment Zone recently gave $334,000 in new computer hardware and accessories to North High, Roosevelt High and Franklin Middle School. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development created 15 empowerment zones in 1999 to assist low income, inner city neighborhoods. Minneapolis Director Kim Havey says the program is trying to bridge a digital chasm for students in those neighborhoods.

"The majority of students do not have computers at home, and about 10 percent of the households within the empowerment zone don't have access to a telephone. So there's obviously no access to the Internet," she says.

Havey says the project will benefit up to 600 students. Minneapolis schools enroll 49,000 students, and about two-thirds meet the state's poverty measurement.

A study last month from the National Center for Education Statistics found 98 percent of the nation's public schools are connected to the Internet. That's up from 35 percent six years ago. The research shows schools with higher concentrations of poverty and more students of color have fewer classrooms connected than in wealthier, mostly white schools. The study also found 54 percent of schools are making computers available to students before and after school. Nationwide, there are five students for every computer.

North High School principal Ron Simmons says his students are excited about having new computers to use in school, and their performance in classes is improving as a result. He says the school will need ongoing financial support from various sources to fully address the digital divide at his school.
(MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire)

Coleen Kosloski, media and technology services director for Minneapolis schools, says the empowerment zone provided a big boost to the district's efforts on computer access.

"The district-wide ratio right now is one-to-seven, but that counts some of the older computers, and we would like to see it just count the newer computers. This has brought the ratio down to one-to-four or one-to-five. It's putting newer technology, rather than some of that borderline technology, as we network schools," says Kosloski.

But with more than 100 school buildings in the district, Kosloski says it's a slow, costly process for Minneapolis to keep current on computer technology. And new does matter, even for those who've lagged behind on the technology front. North High Principal Ron Simmons says this year's addition of 67 new computers made a noticeable difference with students.

"I see a lot of enthusiasm with our kids, and I see a lot of anxiousness to work with the technology that the empowerment program put here in our school," he says.

Simmons says Minneapolis schools will need ongoing funding help from various public and private sources to help further close the digital divide. He says he won't rest until every student has unlimited access to computers and the Internet, both in school and at home.

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