Fm. Hess et Dl. Leal, A shrinking "digital divide"? The provision of classroom computers across urban school systems, SOC SCI Q, 82(4), 2001, pp. 765-778
Objective. To determine the extent of the urban school "digital divide" - t
he varying provision of computer technology to students of different races
and classes-and whether it has changed in the 1990s. Methods. Ordinary leas
t squares and logit regression analysis is conducted on the 1995 Council of
Urban Boards of Education survey, encompassing 72 urban school districts.
Results. Districts with a higher percentage of African American students pr
ovided fewer computers per student, whereas community educational level, fa
mily income, and Latino enrollment had no effect. On the other hand, distri
cts with more African American students reported recent decreases in the st
udent-to-computer ratio, and comparisons with recent research suggest that
the magnitude of this digital divide has decreased. Conclusions. Urban scho
ol districts appear to be addressing the digital divide, although inequalit
ies in computer access remain.