Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13:

The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute conducted research to clarify the state of technology development in schools in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, California and to determine whether meaningful technology access was out of reach for those school districts in which the enrollment was predominantly Hispanic. The empirical investigation, with surveys completed by 54 principals and 123 teachers and interviews with 12 administrators, and case study site visits show that instructional technology is currently beyond the grasp of many Hispanic youth enrolled in California's public K-12 schools. In the school districts studied, the student-to-computer ratio of 14 students for every 1 computer was not significantly different from the state as a whole. However, Hispanic districts were significantly less likely than non-Hispanic districts to receive assistance from school administrators when it came to supporting technology development, in part because the administrators in Hispanic districts perceived many issues to be more significant. Teachers in the Hispanic districts were also more concerned with security and more likely to reduce student access to computers. The research concludes that students lack the tools to compete in today's marketplace, since a working knowledge of information technology is necessary for the majority of new jobs. Aspects of technology development that must be considered in addition to the mere number of computers are professional development, administrative and staff support, and environmental factors in the schools. Public and private sectors in California need to unite to improve access to educational technology for all students. Appendixes present profiles of participating school districts, a list of sites visited, and a list of interview participants. An attachment discusses study methodology. (Contains one table and nine figures.) (SLD)