The Digital Divide

An area of focus for parents should be when evaluating a school is to ask what kind of technology they offer their students and teachers. There are some tendencies for school districts. I have posted below an excerpt from an article that I thought was very revealing.


"Schools serving students living in poverty tend to use technology for more traditional memory-based and remedial activities, while schools serving wealthier communities are more likely to focus on communication and expression.A nationwide study examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and teaching practices around technology found that teaching in low-SES schools correlated most strongly with using technology for "reinforcement of skills" and "remediation of skills," while teaching in higher-SES schools correlated most with "analyzing information" and "presenting information to an audience" (Becker, 2000b).

What does your school district look like? Do they have websites, emails, online newsletters etc.? If the world is going digital than how is your child suppose to integrate it into their own life without having well trained staff in that area? What in-services are provided by the districts?