huridocs-tech Challenges to bridging the digital divide

Edited/Distributed by HURINet - The Human Rights Information Network
---------------------------------------------------------------------
## author     : kevint@BENTON.ORG
## date       : 12.08.99
---------------------------------------------------------------------
              Challenges to bridging the digital divide:
          Building better on ramps to the information highway

           by Paula Y. Bagasao, Ph.D., Elsa Macias, Ph.D.,
                Sara Jones, and Harry P. Pachon, Ph.D.

The digital divide threatens to deepen the gaps in U.S.
society, unless communities work together to ensure equal
access to and benefits from advanced information
technologies for all. The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute's
Digital Steppingstones project is looking at how various
public programs are working at building better on ramps to
the information highway for low-income and minority
communities. This report is based on extensive research
including national and regional dialogs as well as site
visits to programs in five metropolitan areas -- Chicago,
New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.

The Digital Steppingstones researchers identified challenges
that must be addressed in order to develop and sustain
programs that provide equal access to low-income
communities. Parent and civic leaders must buy into
community programs. Program leaders must develop strategies
to sustain programs financially and regularly upgrade
equipment. In addition to broad-based access to computers,
programs must focus on developing user literacy. Researchers
also identified the central roles that staff training and
program evaluation play.

Harry P. Pachon, Ph.D.          Rodolfo O. de la Garza, Ph.D.
President                       Vice President of Research
Tomás Rivera Policy Institute   Tomás Rivera Policy Institute

Introduction

Federal, state and local governments, as well as the
corporate world agree that providing information and
communication technologies in K-12 schools is a key policy
issue. Governors, mayors, school superintendents,
principals, teachers, and parents all see computers and the
Internet as critical tools for helping children learn the
digital literacy they need to navigate in the information
age.

While schools are a primary location for accessing and
teaching computer skills, libraries and community centers
also provide vital public access to computers and the
Internet for both adults and children. As we approach the
new millenium, it is critical that the nation build and
strengthen these public technology access points for the
millions of people who do not have computers in their homes
or at their places of work.

Earlier research by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute
established that most technology "have nots" live in
low-income communities.1 Across the United States, only
about 20 percent of households earning less than $20,000
have home computers compared to 80 percent of households
earning over $75,000. In fact, this "digital divide" is
growing, according to a recent report by the National
Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) of the
Department of Commerce. The report, "Falling through the
Net: A report on telecommunications and the information
technology gap in America," documents that between 1997 and
1998 the disparity in Internet access at home between those
at the highest and lowest education levels increased by 25
percent. The gap increased to 29 percent when highest and
lowest income households were compared. The report also
documents the "digital divide" between ethnic groups with
whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders continuing to outpace
black and Hispanic low-income households in computer
ownership and Internet use.

TRPIĈs research on information technology, which began in
1986, has provided researchers and policy makers with
up-to-date information on how the Hispanic community is
faring on the information highway. TRPI researchers find
that many Latinos from low-income communities, especially
those with lower educational levels and limited English
speaking skills, lag behind their non-Hispanic counterparts
in access to computers and the Internet. However, the rate
of use among middle income Latinos is nearing that of middle
income whites.

In mid 1997 TRPI launched a major three-year research
initiative aimed at shedding light on public access points
that can bridge the gaps between the technology "haves" and
"have nots." The Digital Steppingstones Project (DSS), with
generous support from The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, focuses
on three learning environments -- K-12 public schools,
libraries, and community centers. The project builds on the
instituteĈs earlier work by looking at low-income
communities, various ethnic groups, and access points
outside the home.

TRPI is now mid-way through its DSS research project and has
learned much about exemplary technology programs in
low-income settings in five metropolitan areas -- Los
Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Miami.

TRPI researchers began by collecting data for each of the
five urban areas. The second phase of the research focused
on how to establish and nurture effective information
technology-based programs. This phase involved discussions
with over 250 policy makers, program and community leaders,
and private sector representatives.

     Summaries of discussions during TRPI site visits to the
     key cities, regional roundtables and at the TRPI
     national conference held in Irvine, Calif., in fall
     1998 are available at TRPIĈs website (www.trpi.org).

This policy brief provides early findings on the overall
research questions that guide the project:

* What roles do advanced information technologies play in
low-income and minority communities throughout the United
States?

* Where, how and by whom are these new technologies being
used?

* How are information technologies being used to improve the
lives of people in these communities?

* What can be done through policy and program initiatives to
ensure that people from all backgrounds and circumstances
can have equal access to these new technologies and public
access points?

Preliminary findings

TRPI researchers have identified the issues that must be
addressed in order to develop and sustain information
technology programs. Particular challenges for programs in
low-income and disadvantaged communities were clearly
outlined by participants in TRPI forums. They are:

     1. Equal access. Policy makers, program staff, parents,
     community members, students, library patrons, and the
     private sector must be committed to making information
     technologies equally accessible to all.

     2. Recognizing IT as a tool. Information technology is
     a tool for addressing needs, rather than an end in and
     of itself. Programs in the communities under study use
     information technologies to address various local
     community needs such as improving student performance,
     job training, and providing convenient delivery of
     social services including health and citizenship
     education. Participants felt that technology should be
     used for more than just teaching word processing.
     Schools, libraries, and community centers should
     integrate technology and education so that technology
     can be used to enhance critical thinking skills of all
     learners.

     3. Need for user literacy. Merely having computers and
     other technologies available is not sufficient.

     Study participants emphasized that people need to know
     how to use them effectively. Basic literacy skills such
     as reading, writing, mathematics, critical thinking,
     and technology skills are all necessary in order to
     effectively use technology in schools, libraries and
     community centers. A variety of programs will be needed
     to build these user skills within disadvantaged
     communities, especially in those with large numbers of
     limited English speakers.

     4. Infrastructure barriers. Information technology
     infrastructures vary across and within communities and
     public access points. Researchers found that small and
     older facilities, the absence of appropriate technology
     policies, lack of equipment and software, and
     inadequate human technical capacity remain major
     obstacles for schools, libraries, and community centers
     that serve low-income communities. Although they
     acknowledged assistance from the public, private and
     philanthropic sectors, they also noted a dramatic need
     for more.

     5. Program sustainability. Establishing appropriate
     programs with equal access is a first step, but it is
     not enough. Program leaders must develop strategies to
     sustain programs, by addressing ongoing funding
     requirements, by keeping pace with technology changes,
     and by ensuring adequate technical capacity. Creative
     funding strategies are required to accommodate these
     needs. Participants pointed out that programs often
     falter when a program is dependent on only one personĈs
     efforts.

     6. Staff capacity. Another critical ingredient for a
     successful program is adequate staff capacity.

Programs need to attract, develop and retain teachers,
librarians, and program staff who value technologies and
have experience using them. In most disadvantaged
communities the cost of hiring, training, attracting and
retaining qualified staff is heavy.

During five day-long roundtable discussions with people
directly involved in information technology programs in the
five cities, the following findings were highlighted:

* Parents and community leaders must buy into IT programs.
Parents and community leaders can play the role of strong
program advocates. However, TRPI learned that many parents

worry about their children having easy access to Internet
content related to pornography and violence at schools and
libraries. They are also concerned that children spend more
time playing computer games than engaging in educational
activities. However, overall trust and support for
technology presence is growing.

* The impact of IT access must be evaluated. Although
roundtable participants generally agreed on the need for
meaningful evaluation tools, they were also keenly aware of
the difficulty in developing those tools. Participants
raised more questions than answers about how effective
technology can be for educational purposes. Merely counting
the number and identifying the interest levels of people who
use computers is no longer considered an adequate way to
determine whether education, life and work skills actually
have been developed.

* Schools, libraries and community centers represent three
primary public access points. These three access points are
similar in many ways, however each has unique features. For
instance, public schools can reach K-12 students almost
every day. Libraries and community centers can serve a
broader range of age and ethnic groups, and adjust hours of
access more easily than schools can.

Moving ahead with Digital Steppingstones Project

The Digital Steppingstones Project is designed to inform
policy makers and others on how to bring equitable access to
information technology to under-served, low-income minority
communities. TRPI researchers are currently engaged in the
last stage of the study that focuses on a wider array of
program strategies. TRPI will identify exemplary programs
that can serve as models. The project will also formulate
policy and research recommendations. Overall findings from
the three-year project will be disseminated through a series
of activities in the year 2000, including a final report,
production of a video, an effort to highlight exemplary
programs, and a series of national and community-based
events. A national conference in Washington DC will take
place in spring 2000 and will address how our nation can
work together to mend the growing gap between the "info
rich" and the "info poor."

TRPI will continue to share the information it gathers from
the Digital Steppingstones Project through its website.
Upcoming policy notes will include information on the use of
information technologies in libraries, schools and community
centers.

                *               *               *

Paula Y. Bagasao is TRPI's director for information
technology research. Elsa Macias is senior research
associate and Sara Jones is research assistant. Harry P.
Pachon is president of TRPI. Funding for this three-year
information technology research project, Digital
Steppingstones, is provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
For more information on this project check out the TRPI
website at www.trpi.org.

Tomás Rivera Policy Institute
e-mail: info@trpi.org




----------------------------------
Send mail for the 'huridocs-tech' list to 'huridocs-tech@hrea.org'.
Mail administrative requests to 'majordomo@hrea.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to: 'owner-huridocs-tech@hrea.org'.
Archives of previous messages posted to the list can be found at:
http://www.human-rights.net/huridocs-tech.