Poorest California Schools Not Online

More than 36 percent of schools serving low-income communities in California are not connected to the Internet, according to a recent report by Latino Issues Forum (LIF), a nonprofit advocacy institute. While California leads the nation in computer and Internet usage, its neediest schools are falling behind, despite federal efforts to get low-income schools online. Indeed, the four-year-old federal "e-Rate" program, designed to provide affordable Internet access for schools and libraries, is not reaching the poorest schoolchildren.

In its survey of 37 low-income California elementary and public high schools, LIF found that 32 percent lack a technology plan, a major prerequisite for e-Rate funding. Of those that have technology plans, many lack sufficient resources, including basic computer hardware, to fully benefit from the program. Surveyed schools lacking Internet connectivity serve an impoverished student population that is less than one percent white, demonstrating that the digital divide is widening along economic and racial lines, the study's authors say. "It is embarrassing that a state recognized for its technological prowess ranks 38th in the nation for school connectivity," says Viola Gonzales, executive director of LIF, which is calling for an audit of California schools receiving e-Rate funds, among other recommendations.