Published: September 13, 2006
Minorities Still Face Digital
Divide
Nearly a
decade after the World Wide Web became widely available, a significant gap
persists between minority and white students in their use of that potentially
powerful educational tool, according to a federal report.
Based on
the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey of October 2003, 93 percent
of white students use computers, compared with 86 percent of black students and
86 percent of Hispanic students, the study reports. Among Asian-Americans, the
figure was 91 percent.
And
while 67 percent of white students were likely to use the Internet, just 47
percent of African-American students, 44 percent of Hispanic students, and 58
percent of Asian-American students were likely to do so.
The
study by researchers Matthew DeBell, of the American Institutes for Research,
and Christopher D. Chapman, of the
The
report adds weight to earlier studies that have found a "digital divide" between
minority and white Americans.
"The
digital divide still exists and is a serious issue in our country," said Don
Knezek, the chief executive officer of the International Society for Technology
in Education, a Washington-based professional organization that advocates
greater use of technology in schools. "It translates not only into equity of
access to additional education after K-12, but also to access to jobs."
The
report also documents a digital divide separating students with physical
disabilities from those without such disabilities.
Eighty-two
percent of students with disabilities used computers, as opposed to 91 percent
of the those without disabilities. Of the students with disabilities, 49
percent went online, compared with 61 percent of those who not have
disabilities, according to the 62-page study.
In spite
of the technology gaps between minority and white students, majorities of young
people overall-from nursery school through high school-use computers and use
the Internet, according to the newly released data.
Overall,
91 percent of those attending nursery school through grade 12 used computers
and 59 percent used the Internet, according to the 2003 population survey, with
usage rates for computers and the Internet generally rising with grade level,
but more markedly for Internet use.
Schools
play a big role in helping to bridge the digital divide, the report says,
echoing past studies. Many disadvantaged students use the Internet only at
school. Among the students who access the Internet at only one location, a
majority of those who are in poverty get that access at school.
"Schools
do appear to help narrow the digital divide in terms of computer use," the
report concludes.
The
study found progress in the area of gender, where a divide in computer and
Internet use between female and male students has virtually disappeared.
Ninety-one percent of both female and male students use computers, the study
found; moreover, 61 percent of girls use the Internet, compared with 58 percent
of boys.
The
researchers noted that the census data did not address the quality of the
experiences of students who use computers and the Internet, the convenience of
their access to the technology, or the time spent using those tools overall or
for certain activities-all areas that could be addressed in future studies.
Vol.
26, Issue 03, Page 14