Digital Divide

Although there are many exciting educational uses of the Internet and computers, not all students
can take advantage of them. Because many schools do not have adequate computers or access to
the Internet, students are unable to utilize these technologies as learning resources. A major
power issue affecting educational uses of computers and the Internet is the digital divide, also
called the knowledge gap. The term “digital divide” refers to disparities in accessing and using
technology; these disparities are linked to socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, country of
origin, English fluency, and many other factors. Don Tapscott (1998) writes, “The issue is not
just access to the new media, but rather whether differences in availability of services,
technology fluency, motivation, and opportunities to learn may lead to a two-tiered world of
knowers and know-nots, doers and do-nots” (p. 256). Although the prevalence of computers and
Internet access in homes and schools is significantly greater today than it was several years ago,
it is the gap between those who have access and those who do not that is growing (Tapscott, 40
1998).
In the United States, both the Department of Commerce and the Department of Education
actively research and publish findings about the digital divide. In a 2000 report, the U. S.
Department of Commerce found that between 1998 and 2000, the gap between the number of
Black and Hispanic households with Internet access and the national average grew. Other than
home and work environments, public schools are the most frequent place people access the
Internet. This holds true especially for those living in rural areas (U. S. Department of
Commerce, 1999). Some recent studies show that universal access is increasing, however, the
digital divide persists. In some cases it is widening, and is affecting public school students
throughout the United States. A 1999 study found that geographic location, economic resources,
and grade levels are no longer accurate predictors of a school’s access to the Internet. In fact, this
study found that all schools are “equally likely to have Internet access” (Holloway, 2000, p. 90).
However, when the availability of the Internet in individual classrooms is considered, this study
indicates considerable differences among schools. Wealthy schools had an average of 74 percent
of instructional classrooms connected to the Internet, but schools in poorer areas (those with at
least 71 percent of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunches) reported only 39 percent of
instructional classrooms connected to the Internet. Between 1998 and 1999, the number of
instructional classrooms with Internet access in high-poverty areas remained stagnant (Holloway,
2000). The student-to-computer ratio is also widening; in high-poverty schools it is 16:1, and in
wealthy schools it stands at 7:1 (Rose, 2001).

Many students from low-income families do not have access to cutting-edge technologies at
home; they “will get access to 21st century technologies through their school or they won’t get it
at all” (Rose, 2001, p. 10). An eight-year study released in 2003 by the U.S. Department of
Education found that many discrepancies still exist between urban and rural districts, poor and
wealthy districts, smaller and larger districts, and higher and lower minority population districts.
Though the differences in access to hardware are not as significant as they once were, other
inequities remain. For instance, schools with the lowest minority enrollment were the most likely
to have a full-time paid technology specialist. Additionally, the ratio of students to computer
with Internet access was higher in high poverty districts than in low poverty districts (NCES,
2003).
In order to improve student access to technology, the U. S. Department of Education advances
numerous suggestions that may dramatically improve access to computers (Cattagni & Westat,
2001). These options include changing school funding formulas to make technology allocations
equal in wealthy and poor districts, allowing students to access computer labs outside school
hours, enabling students to “check out” a laptop, designing multimedia and educational software
that reflects an awareness of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, and providing funds for teacher
training, support, and instruction (Holloway, 2000).