Computers in Iowa Schools

Digital Divide narrows in Iowa
as schools expand computer use

April 9, 2004

DES MOINES, Iowa -- For the past 20 years the Internet has been creeping its way to becoming an integral part of American and world lifestyles. Now, it's used for just about anything, and almost every job makes use of it in some way.

Because of the distinctive place the Internet and computers have come to occupy in society, a large part of children's schooling in Iowa focuses on the use of this powerful tool.

Tom Andersen, consultant for equity in school improvement for the Iowa Department of Education, said, "If kids are graduating and going out in the world without being computer literate and comfortably using the computer and knowledgeable about the ways to use it, they're going to be at a disadvantage virtually in almost any job they go into, whether it's as an auto mechanic or doctor. Everybody's using computers in what they do, so it's really pretty important that kids be exposed to them...If they've done that in elementary, middle school and high school the transition to the workplace will be relatively easy for them."

When schools do not teach students how to use computers and the Internet, a digital divide is created. In the past, this divide was simple to define: either a school had computers and Internet access, or it didn't. The digital divide of today is more complicated. It includes a number of different factors that create inequalities.

Money is the biggest factor in Internet access and usage. The socioeconomic success of a community can be a good predictor of whether or not the local school can provide access to good computers. This is because it has so much to do with the money taken in by taxes, Andersen said.

For two years in a row the state Legislature has cut budgets for technology, creating further problems for schools already struggling to offer students good computers. Communities try to offset this cut by fund-raising, but even this is more adventageous in wealthier communities. "A lot of schools have fund-raisers now," Andersen said. "The parents are helping, the booster clubs are helping to raise money. And obviously these kind of projects raise a lot more money in wealthy neighborhoods than they do in poor neighborhoods...These avenues all, all advantage the wealthy."

Right now the problem is not so bad, but Andersen said if these budget trends continue, the digital divide in Iowa may widen.

"With technology there's an initial cost and then there's an annual cost of keeping hardware up to date," Andersen said. "So there's an ongoing expense. If the state budgeting continues to go down, then those districts that have money of their own to augment will do it, and those that don't won't and then you'll begin to see inequities grow if that happens."

Some schools may choose not to spend their money on computers and equipment, Andersen said. "Some districts see technology as extremely important and will put more of their discretionary money into it. Others will put less, so that's where you'll see the variance."

Andersen said that as far as he knows, all Iowa schools have computers at this point. It is the quality of the equipment that creates one of the biggest divides.

"I think more and more kids have computers, but the quality of those computers might vary a little bit and some districts may have a higher percentage of classrooms wired for Internet access," Andersen said. "That's probably where the biggest variance is."

Private schools seem to be affected the most by lack of access to good computers, Andersen said. "I go and do a lot of private Catholic schools that are very small and where they don't have as good of computers as the public school. Then you go to the other private schools in other neighborhoods, and you'll find that they're better off. I think the variance in private schools is even greater than it is for public schools."

Some private schools have a number of computers, but don't have the money to hire a proper staff to care for them. Donna McVeigh works for Cardinal Stritch Catholic School in Keokuk. She described herself as "Jack of all trades, master of none."

McVeigh cleans, looks after, repairs and installs all of the computers for the high school and elementary school, in addition to teaching several classes. She said that although the school has a lot of computers, several of them are very outdated. These computers were donated to the school.

"At times it gets pretty stressful," McVeigh said. "I just try to do what I can. The bigger schools have in-house people to work on computers and a repair person on staff. They hire somebody to clean all of the computers."

Schools with high enrollment may have a larger staff to take care of their computers, but they also tend to have a lower student-to-computer ratio, and spend less on technology per student, according to the 2003 Annual Condition of Education Report in Iowa.

According to the report, schools in Iowa with enrollment of more than 7,500 have a ratio of 4.5 students to one computer. Schools with less than 250 students have a ratio of 2.7 students to one computer.

"If there are kids that are missing out a little bit, it might be in some of the large urban school districts where they've got thousands of kids and the ratio may not be as great and you may have a smaller percentage of classes wired for the Internet," Andersen said.

Another place where inequalities occur is in the home. Some students, especially in poor, urban areas, do not have access to a computer at home. This can cause a problem if the student-to-computer ratio is high at the school.

"I think we're getting to the point that the computers are there in almost all the buildings. So, it's a matter of equalizing access for homework outside of school hours," Andersen said. "I think that schools can make a big difference there if they open up their facilities at night so that kids who need to use them for projects can."

Student-to-computer ratios have improved drastically in the past 10 years. In 1995 the average ratio for the state was 7.2 students per computer. The 2003 ratio of 3.7 students per computer is a marked improvement. The divide is narrowing, but it still remains a problem in some schools.

Smaller schools have a disadvantage when it comes to the computer classes they can offer. Smaller schools tend to have fewer electives, and therefore fewer options for students interested in learning about computers. However, computers can also be the solution to this problem.

"A lot of small schools can't afford to hire a teacher for two kids who want to take AP English or AP government. Now they can," said John O'Connell, consultant of instructional technology for the Iowa education department.

Andersen has also noticed inequalities in programming classes. There are very few females to be found.

"In programming courses where the kids learn to control the computers and make them do what they want to do we have historically seen less girls enrolled," Andersen said. "It's still true significantly in computer programming courses, which are usually computer math courses at the secondary level."

Andersen said he thinks the lack of girls in programming classes has a lot to do with tradition. "It's heavily connected with math, and for the same reason that you might see fewer girls in calculus classes, although that's changed a lot," he said.

Minorities also have problems with digital inequalities due to language barriers and the disproportionate number of them that are enrolled in poorer schools. Also, many minority students are not taught to use the computer effectively, Andersen said.

"Sometimes with poor and minority kids there's a tendency to use the computer for drill and remediation only, not for research," Andersen said.

This is a problem that needs to be addressed because the minority population in Iowa, especially the Hispanic population, is experiencing a vast amount of growth, Andersen said.

Andersen said equity issues are important in Iowa, but have taken a back seat to other issues in recent years.

"We used to have an equity bureau here with nine consultants, a bureau chief and three secretaries," Andersen said. "Now we have no bureau, and we have me 30 percent of my time...Very little federal and state money is earmarked for equity now."

The problem of narrowing the digital divide in Iowa is difficult due to the lack of specific data about each school. In the next several years more of this data will be available since the No Child Left Behind Act will require that schools report more specifics, O'Connell said.

O'Connell said he didn't think No Child Left Behind would have much of a positive effect on narrowing the digital divide in Iowa. The government gave Iowa $3.5 million to spend on enhancing technology. The amount of money was based on Title 1 enrollment.

"It's such a small amount of money," O'Connell said. "You know, it sounds like a lot. $3.5 million sounds like a lot to you and me individually. But when you divide that by 500,000 students, thatÕs about $6.50 per student."

O'Connell said the state is planning on targeting the money at districts above the 15 percent poverty level. In other words, schools in areas where 15 percent or more of the population is below the poverty level will receive the money.

"Basically what is happening there is that we target these funds to them to give them help in catching up with those that are more well-to-do," O'Connell said. "But at the same point, because No Child Left Behind has such a punitive aspect to it, in other words if you will, we'll keep beating you until your grades improve. If your grades don't improve we'll take away money until you improve. Well, wait a minute, if I need money to improve there's a lot of frustration there."

Andersen said the vast improvement in computer equity cannot be ignored. He said he has not cited a school in over three years.

"I'm finding less disparities when we go out on equity reviews, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. We've cited folks for equity issues in computers or where we thought kids didn't have access to them over the last 20 years," Andersen said. "I mean, it's an ongoing process. We have not been citing that area as far as I can recall much lately. That means the gap is narrowing."