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A Shrinking “Digital Divide”? The Provision of Classroom Computers across Urban School Systems
Author(s) -
Hess Frederick M.,
Leal David L.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/0038-4941.00058
Subject(s) - digital divide , inequality , ordinary least squares , logistic regression , mathematics education , sociology , demographic economics , demography , geography , psychology , political science , mathematics , economics , information and communications technology , econometrics , statistics , mathematical analysis , law
Objective . To determine the extent of the urban school “digital divide”—the varying provision of computer technology to students of different races and classes—and whether it has changed in the 1990s. Methods . Ordinary least 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 provided fewer computers per student, whereas community educational level, family income, and Latino enrollment had no effect. On the other hand, districts with more African American students reported recent decreases in the student‐to‐computer ratio, and comparisons with recent research suggest that the magnitude of this digital divide has decreased. Conclusions . Urban school districts appear to be addressing the digital divide, although inequalities in computer access remain.