Equity Report Income-level

1. Equity ReportIncome-level Marisa Panzani March 29th, 2007

2. Source Pew/InternetPew Internet & American Life Project“The Internet at School” 8/2005 Telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,100 teens 12-17 years-old

3. For those who stated that they did have home access Where do you go online MOST often? Home 76% School 18% Have you ever used instant messages to talk about homework, test or schoolwork? Yes 78% No 22%

6. Source Federal Census Statistics Computer and Internet Use in the United States (2003)

10. Source US Dept of EdComputer Technology in the Public School Classroom:Teacher PerspectivesMarch 2005 http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005083.pdf

12. % of teachers who agreed that computers & other technology for their classrooms were sufficiently available.

13. Percentage of schools lending laptops to students (2005)

14. Source Rockman Et All Three year study reporting on Microsoft’s Anytime Anywhere Learning Program eight school sites more than 450 students almost 50 teachers http://www.microsoft.com/Education/aalresearch3.mspx

15. Laptop students consistently show more frequent use of computers for longer periods of time than Non-Laptop students. • They feel greater confidence in their computer skills on a variety of applications, and they use computers for a wider variety of tasks than do Non-Laptop students. • More intensive uses of technology for Laptop students are evident both at school and at home.

16. Frequency of home computer use

17. Problems • If kids have access at home they are increasingly using it for homework as well as civic information gathering. (Pew) • But most low income children do not have access at home. (Census)

18. Problems • Parents of low income students also have les access to communicate to their children’s teachers through email. (Census) • Undoubtedly this communication will become increasingly common for those who “have.”

19. Problems • Great majority of schools (all above 80%) have some access to computers and the internet. (Census) (Dept of Ed) • But that last 20% are the least likely to have computer access at home, leaving them little opportunity to have meaningful interactions with the technology.

20. Problems • At the Classroom level it is very hard to get statistics. • The DOE counts computers anywhere in the school for their student/computer ratios.

21. Problems • 39% of the teachers who reported that they have no computers in their classroom, felt that was sufficient access for their students. (DOE) • 55% with a 16+ student/computer ratio also felt that was adequate access. (DOE) • Even though their low income students are likely not getting access anywhere else.

22. Problems • Only 11% of schools with the lowest income students lend laptops. (DOE) • But more than 65% of those same low income students don’t have a computer at home. (Census)

23. Problems • Where will students with no access at school gain exposure? • Even if they do have some access at school, where do low income student get to do their homework?

24. Problems • Why do teachers value access for themselves but not their students? • Why aren’t teachers of low income students aware that school might be the only place for access?

25. Problems • Can we imagine schools requiring low-income parents to buy text books? • Can we imagine classrooms with 16 children sharing a textbook? • The issue of how the technology is utilized becomes moot if the most vulnerable students don’t even have access.

26. Solutions Looking at what response to these problems have been suggested or implemented. • Department of Ed • The Children’s Partnership • Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development • The State of Maine (solution in action)

27. Dep of Ed’sNational Education Technology Plan • Strengthen Leadership • Consider Innovative Budgeting • Improve Teacher Training • Support e-Learning and Virtual Schools • Encourage Broadband Access • Move Toward Digital Content • Integrate Data Systems

28. The Children’s Partnershipnational non-profit • Identify and capitalize on ICT advances with proven value • Invest in not yet developed ways ICT can help meet national goals • Create benchmarks to hold ourselves accountable for providing digital opportunity to all children • Take steps to ensure that every child has access to ICT tools where it matters the most - at home, at school, and in the community • Develop long-range research agenda http://www.childrenspartnership.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Reports1&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=9853

29. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development • Focus on student who will benefit the most • Use computers to support the alignment of standards, instruction and assessment • Use computers for assessment; benefit from their ability to correct tests automatically and provide results quickly

30. Maine State Department of Education Since 2002, has been pursuing a groundbreaking initiative that has equipped all 7th and 8th grade students and teachers with one-to-one access to wireless notebook computers and the Internet.The Initiative is considered the single largest 1:1 educational technology program in the world. http://www.maine.gov/mlti/about/index.htm

31. My recommendations: • Technology equity issues should be introduced in all school leadership programs • Teacher certification should include courses on integrating technology into the curriculum with an emphasis on understanding that not all students have access at home

32. Programs like Maine’s should be replicated (Texas and Michigan have to a limited extent.) • Focus on low income students who qualify for free lunch, rather than trying to provide for all students.

33. Encourage research specifically into equity issues that examine the impact of home access as well as school access.