-
https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/files/original/7131a727a36ee9bfe6af31f1f030ccc5.pdf
ace0db9b98c5098deb7d1b107df575a7
PDF Text
Text
< '.
.,...·8/..-.'" ~
t,:t:·~e,.,"
Daniel F. Feldman
04/05/2000 11 :56:28 AM
t"··
~
Record Type:
Record
,
To:
.
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
cc,
SL1bject: White House Conference on the New Economy: AGENDA
. unfortunately, got this too late for us to try to attend any or part ofthis, but thought you'd be interested in
the panels, given our recent discussions and meetings rethe . ' ..
new economy .
.
'
---------------------- Forwarded by Daniel F. Feldman/NSC/EOP on 04/05/2000 09:59 AM --------------------------
Christine L. Anderson
04/05/2000 09:51: 18 AM
Record Type:
To:
Record
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
cc:
Subject: White House Conference on the New Economy: AGENDA
The White House Conference on the New Economy
Agenda"
April 5, 2000
. 9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks
East Room
President William Jefferson Clinton
9:15 a.m. Panel I
East Room
Is the New Economy Rewriting Rules on Productivity
and the Business Cycle? .
Remarks:
Treasury Secretary Lawrence 'Summers
�Martin Baily, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors
Panelists:
Abby Joseph Cohen, Chair of Investment Policy Committee, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
James K. Galbraith, Professor of Public Affairs and Government, Univ. Texas-Austin
William D. Nordhaus, A. Whitney Griswold Professor of Economics, Yale University
Kim Polese, Co-Founder, President, CEO, Marimba, Inc.
Roger C. Altman, Partner, EvercorePartners, Inc.
JO:35 a.m. Break
10:50 a.m. Breakout Sessions
Session One (Blue)
Blue Room
Is a Debt-Free U. S. Government Good For America's
Economic Futu're
Discussion Leaders:
Robert Kuttner, Co-Editor, The American Prospect
Henry Kaufman, President, Henry Kaufman & Co, Inc.
Moderator:
Gene Sperling, Director, National Economic Council
Session'Two (Orange)
Roosevelt. Room
Avoiding Risks to our Economic Expansion
" Discussion Leaders:
.
Robert J. Shiller, Stanley B. Resor Profess6r of Econo'inics, Yale University
Diane Swonk, Chief Economist, Bank One Corporation
John B. Taylor, Mary and Robert Raymond Professor of Economics, Stanford University
Moderator:
Jack Lew, Director, Office of Mal}agement and Budget
Session Three (Red)
Who's Being Left Behind in the New Economy?
China Room
Discussion Leaders:
Robert Greenstein, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Budget
Policy Priorities
and
�.,
.
Alice Rivlin, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Robert L. Johnson, CEO, BET Holdings, Inc.
Moderators:
Health and ,Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala
Maria Echaveste, White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Session Four (Green)
Globalization and Jobs
Map Room
Discussion Leaders: '
C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Institute for International Economics
David A. Smith, Director, Public Policy Department, AFL-CIO
Susan M. Collins, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, Brookings Institution
Moderato,r:
Labor Secretary Alexis Herman
Session Five (Yellow)
The Next Stages of the Internet and Its Impact
on the Economy'
Diplomatic Roo'm
Discussion Leaders:
Hal R. Varian, Dean, School of Information Management & Systems, U. c., Berkeley
E. David Ellington, Co-Founder, Chairman, President, CEO, NetNoir, Inc.
William R. Hambrecht, Founder, Chairman, CEO, W.R. Hambrecht& Co.
Moderator:
Noon
John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff
Lunch
State Dining Room
1:45 p.m. Remarks
East Room
President William Jefferson Clinton
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan
2:15 p.m. Panel II
Closing the Global Divide: Health, Education
and Technology
East Room
Panelists:
Amartya Sen, Master, Trinity College, Cambridge University
William H. Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Microsoft Corporation
Henry Cisneros, President and CEO, Univision, Inc.
�>,!
...
James D. Wolfensohn, President, World Bank
Mirai Chatterjee, Secretary, Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) of India
Robert F. Chase, Preside~t, National Education Association
3:15 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Panel III
East Room
Can the New Economy Tools Empower Civil Society
and Government?
Panelists:
Robert D. Putnam, Stanfield Professor ofInternational Peace, Harvard University Kaleil ,
D. Isaza TuzmaiJ., Co-founder and CEO, govWorks.com
Esther Dyson, Founder and Chairman, Edventure Holdings, Inc.
William Julius Wilson, Weiner Professor of Social Policy, JFK School, Harvard
University
Message Sent To:
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .lloma.eop.gov.us/2000/2/2/4 ,text. 1
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FROM
THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION:
DIGITA~ DIVIDE TO DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY
February 2, 2000
Today, President Clinton
unveil a comprehensive proposal to help
bridge the digital divide and create new opportunity for all Americans.
This issue has been a top priority for Vice President Gore" who has
worked to bridge the Digital Divide by ensuring that all children have
access to educational technology. Acceis to computers and the Internet
and the. ability to use this technology effectively are becoming
increasingly
ant
full participation in funerica's economic,
political ~nd social life.
Unfortunately, unequal access to technology
'and high~tech skills by income, educat
level, race, and geography
could
and reinforce the divisions
exist within funerican
. society.
President Clinton believes that we must make access to
computers and the Internet as universal as the telephone is today
in
our schools, libraries, communities, and homes.
To make the most of these new opportunities, the President believes we
must:
Broaden access to t'echnologies such as computers,
high-speed networks;
Provide
the s
teachers and
master the information economy;
th~
Internet, and
training they need to
Promote online content and'
ications that will
Americans to use new technologies to their fullest
all ,
President Clinton will announce
proposals in his new budget to
accomplish these goals and help create digital opportunity for more
Americans -$2 billion in tax incentives to encourage private
sector activities such as computer donations, and $380 million in new
and expanded .initiatives to serve as a catalyst for public-private
partnerships:
PRESIDENT CLINTON'S NEW BUDGET INITIATIVES
1.
2 billion in tax incentives over 10 years to encourage private
sector donation of computers, sponsorship of community technology
centers, and technology t
for workers.
2.
$150 million to
train all new teachers entering 'the
workforce to use technology effectively.
3.
$100 million to create 1,00QCommunity Technology Centers in
low-income urban and rural neighborhoods.
4.
$50 million for a public/~rivate partnership to expand home
access to comput.ers and the Internet for low-income families.
5.
$45 million to promote innovative applicatio~; of information
and communications technology for under-served.communities.
6.
5 million to accelerate private sector deployment of broadband
networks in under-served urban and rural communities.
10f7
2/13/200010:01 PM
�i
http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .I/oma.eop.gov.usI2000/21214.text.l
.7.
$10 million to
Native Americans for careers in
Technology and other technical fieldi.
Mobilize Public/Private Partnerships To Close the Digital
President Clinton Will Lead A New Markets Trip during the week
9th: Closing the Digital Divide requires creative
between industry, non-profit organizations
That's why President Clinton will lead a New Markets trip
the
week of
9th designed to mobilize a
ficant private and public
effort to close the digital divide. This trip, which will include
leading
CEOs, will
communities that are using
information technology to enhance our children's education, expand
access to life-long
and create economic growth and high-tech,
jobs.
THE CLINTON-GORE AGENDA FOR
CREATING DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY
February 2, 2000
Private sector competition and rapid technological progress are powerful
forces to bridge the
divide and make Information
tools
available for more and more Americans. The information technology
industry is able to double the amount of computing power available at a
given price every 12-18 months, and is now selling low-cost
and "information appliances"
such as specialized Internet access
devices.
S6me
are even of
free, advertiser-supported
Internet access. By working with the
sector and community-based
organi
, the Administration
the trend toward
expanded access .
. 3ut access to technology is only the first step. We also n~ed to
people the skills they need to use technology, to promote content and
applications of technology that will
empower under-served
communities, and to ensure that teachers can use technology effectively
in the classroom. 3elow is a brief
of the initiatives that
President Clinton and Vice President Gore are proposing to
accomplish these goals:
1.$2 billion over 10 years in tax incentives to encourage private
sector donation of computers, sponsorship of community technology
centers, and technology training for workers:. President Clinton's
budget includes $2 billion in new tax incentives to encourage companies
to donate computers to schools, libraries and community technology
centers, to sponsor schools, libraries, and community technology centers
in designated Empowerment Zones, and to
basic computer training,
vmrkplace
or other basic education for their. employees.
Encouraging
to donate computers. The President proposes to
extend and expand tax deduction that
companies an incentive to
donate computers to schools, libraries and computer technology centers.
This enhanced deduction allows companies to deduct more than the cost of
their donation.
Under current law, this deduction applies
donations
9f computers to schools only and expires after the year 2000.
The
Preside~t's
would extend this provision
June 30, 2004
and would expand it to donations to public librari'es or community
technology centers in Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and
'high-poverty areas.
Promoting corporate sponsorship of schools, libraries and community
technology centers.
The President proposes ~ax relief to encourage
companies to sponsor schools and community technology centers in
Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and
,lOW income
20f7
2/1312000 10:01 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .I/oma.eop.gov.us/2000/2/2/4.text.l
,
.
areas.
President's proposal would allocate credits for $16 million
in corporate sponsorship to each of
31 existing Empowerment Zones
and 10 proposed new Empowerment Zones and $4 million in corporate
sponsorship for each of the more than 80
Communities.
In
total, the President's proposal would help
up to
$1
billion in annual sponsorships to help improve schools and community
technology centers.
Support
technology training for workers. The President's proposal
would provide targeted tax relief to encourage companles to provide
basic computer training, workplace literacy, or other basic education
for employees that lack the basic skills to succeed in the modern
Companies would be allowed to take a 20 percent tax credit
for up to $5,250 in annual expenses per employee.
Eligible employees
generally would not have received a
school
or its
equivalent.
2. $150 million to help train all new teachers entering the workforce
use technology effectively in the classroom:
Under the leadership of
President Clinton and Vice President Gore, the United States has made
enormous prog~ess in connecting schools to the Internet, and increasing
the number of modern computers in the classroom. However, access to
computers and the Internet will not
students achieve high academic
standards unless teachers are as comfortable with a computer as they are
with a chalkboard. 'Preside~t Clinton's
~alls
$150 million in'
Department Df Education grants -- double the last yeai's investment of
$75 million -- to ensure that all new teachers entering the workforce
are technologically literate and can integrate technology into the
curriculum.
The need for this
is clear. According to the·
National Center for Education Statist
, only 20
of
that
are "very well prepared" to integrate technology into
classroom. And over the next 10 years, K-12 schools will need to hire
2 million new teachers to fill the vacancies left by
teachers
and to accommodate increasing student populations.
3. $100 million to create up to 1,000 Community Technology Centers in
low-income urban and rural communities: The President's budget more than
triples the Department of Education's support for Community Technology
Centers - from $32.5 million in FY2000 to $100 million in fY2001.
This
initiative, championed by
swoman Maxine Waters was initially
funded at $10 million in fiscal year 1999. The goal of the initiative
is to
close the "digital divide~ by providing computers and
Information Age tools to children'and adults that are not able to afford
them at home.
These community technology centers will help empower
hundreds of thousands of low-income children .and adults in a
of
ways.
Children will be able to improve their performance in school by
access to high-quality educational software after school and
.prepare for the high-tech workplace of the 21st century by getting
certified 'with an, information technology skill. Adults will be able to
use computers and the Internet to take a sel
adult literacy
course;
to America's Job Bank to see what jobs are available;
learn to
up a resume and cover
using word process
software; learn to ~tart up their own, "micro-enterprise" or Web-based
business, or acquire new
A
sponsored by the National
Science' Foundation confirms that Community Technology Centers are
helping to bridge the digital divide. Of the users surveyed: 62 percent
had incomes of less than $~5,000i 65 percent took computer classes to
improve their job skills; and 4 1 , g o t homework help or tutoring
at the center.
4. $50 million for a public/private partnership to
home access to
computers and the Internet for low-income families:
The President's
budget includes a new $50 million Department of Commerce pilot program
to expand access to computers and the Internet for low-income families,
and to
these families the skills they need to use these new
30f7
2/13/200010:01 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .I/oma.eop.gov.us/2000/2/2/4. text. I
Information Age tools effectively. This new.program will provide
competitive grants to
ic-private partnerships at the local ~evel.
20tential partners'might include: local school districts seeking to
expand'
involvement in education; high-tech
willing
provide diicounts on computers and access; libraries
training
on "information literacy"; employers seeking to upgrade the skills of
th~ir workforce u~
distance learn{ng, and government
at all
levels seeking to save taxpayer dollars through the electronic delivery
of government services. The Administration will continue to work with
the
sector and non-profit
zations on the most effective
·way
design this program.
5. $45 million to promote innovative ,applications of information
technology for under-served communities: President Clinton's budget will
increase the
in the
of Commerce's
highl~-success~ul Technology Opportunities ~rogram (TOP) to $45 million
the current level of $15 million. This program encourages
innovative applications of information technology that help empower
low-income communities -health information systems that· raise
childhood immunization rates in inner-cities, tele-mentoringfor at-risk
youth, and electroniC networks that strengthen local communities by
fostering communication and collaboration.
6 .. $25 million to accelerate private sector deployment of high-speed
networks in under-served urban and rural communities: High-speed
Internet access is becoming as important to the economic vitality of a
communi ty as roads and
are ,today. The Pres'ident will propose a
new $25 million program at the Department of ~ommerce and the Department
of Agriculture to accelerate
sector deployment of broadband
networks in under-served urban and rural communities -- using
and
loan guarantees. The potential
from these kinds of investments
is enormous. One company, for example, has helped
move from
, "welfare-to-work" by connecting their community with ·the high-speed
networks needed to support telecommuting.
This solves some of the
biggest barriers associated with welfare-to-work -- lack of childcare
and transportation.
7. $10 million to prepare Native Americans for careers in information
technology and other technical fields:
The National Science Foundation
will support efforts by tribal colleges to increase the number of Native
Americans who are prepared to pursue careers in information technology
and other technical fields.
The ability to use technology is becoming
increasingly
in the workplace, and jobs in the rapidly growing
information technology sector pay almost.80
more than the
average private sector wage.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Access to computers and the Internet and the ability to ef
use
this technology are b~coming incieasingly
for full
part
on i n ' s economic, political and social. life.
People
are
the Internet to find lower prices for goods and services, work
from home or start their own business, acquire new skills using distance
learning, and make better informed decisions about their healthcare
needs.
The ability to use technology is becoming increasingly important
in the workplace, and jobs in the rapidly growing information technology
sector pay almost 80 percent more than the average private sector wage.
Technology, used
, can also make a big difference in the way
teachers teach and students learn.
In some classrooms, t~achers are
.using the Internet to
up with the latest developments in their
field, exchange lesson plans with their colleagues, and communicate more
frequently with parents. Students are able to log on to the Library of
Congress to download primary documents for a history paper,
the
40f7
2113/2000 10:01 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. j/oma.eop.gov.us/2 000121214. text.l
universe with an Internet-connecteq
used by professional
astronomers, and engage ·in more active"
by doing .'" Students
are also creat
powerful Internet-based learning resources that can be
used by other students -- such as
Web sites on endangered
species, the
of sleep, human
of sound, and an
exploration of the American judicial
Access to
and the Internet has exploded during the
Clinton-Gore Administration.
Unfortunately, there is strong evidence of
a "di'gi tal divide"
·a gap between those individuals and communi ties
that have access to these Information
tools and those who don't:
In
',some instances, this divide is actually widening. A',July 1999 report
from the
of Commerce, based on December 1998 Census
Department data, revealed that:
Better educated Americans more
to be connected. Between 1997
and 1998, the technology divide between thpse at the highest and lowest
education levels increased 25%.
In 1998, those with a
degree
are more than
times likely to have a computer at home and nearly
, sixteen times as likely to have home Internet access as those with an
elementary school education.
The gap between high- and low-income Americans is increasing: In the
last year, the divide between
at the hi90est and lowest income
,levels grew 29%.
Households with incomes of $75,000 br
are more,
Lhan twenty times more likely to
access to· the Internet than those
at the lowest income levels, and more than nine times as Ii
y to have
a computer at home.
Whites more likely to be connected than African-Americans or
Hispanics. The digital divide
also persistent and
along
racial and ethnic lines. Whites are more likely to have access to the
Internet
home than African-Americans or Hispanics have from any
location. African-American and Hi
households are roughly
two-fifths as likely to have hom& Internet access as white households.
The gaps between white and
households; and between white and
African-American households, are now more' than six
age p'oints
larger than
were in 1994. However, for incomes of $75,000 and
higher, the divide between whites and African-Americans has narrowed
considerably in the last year.
Rural areas less likely to be connected than urban users.
Regardless
of income level, those living in rural areas are
behind in
computer ownership and Internet access. At some income levels, those in
urban areas are 50% more Ii
to have Internet access than those
earning
same ,income in rural areas.
Low income households in rural
areas are the least connected, with connectivity rates ~n the s
digits for both computers and Internet access.
In addition, data from the National Center for
Statistics
'reveals a "digital divide"
our nation's schools.' As of the fall of
1998, 39 percent of classrooms of poor schools were connected to the
.
,as compared to 62
for wealthier schools.
A STRONG RECORD OF WORKING TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
President Clinton and
digital divide, and to
Information Age.
President Gore have worked hard to close the
create opportunity
more Americans in the
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have set a national
of
that every child is technologically literate.
In addition to
children for the high-tech workplace
the 21st century,
can help change the way teachers teach and students learn.
50f7
2/13/200010:01 PM
�http://www.pub.w11itehouse.gov/uri-.. .I/oma.eop.gov.usI2000/2/2/4.text.1
....
..
'
Teachers can communicate more frequently with parents, keep up with the
latest developments in their field, and exchange lesson plans with their
colleagues.
Students can conduct research using primary source
material, learn the principles of genetics by breeding virtual fruit
flies, and learn astronomy by
a professional telescope located
3,000 miles from their classroom.
As a result of the Clinton-Gore education~l technology initiative:
The number of classrooms connected to the Internet has increased from'
3% in 1994 to q1% in 1998.
The humber of schools connected
35% in 1
to 89% in 1998.
the Internet has increased from
The lie-rate", part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, is
providing $2.25 billIon in 20% - 90% discounts to connect sc600ls and
libraries to the Internet, with the deepest discounts
to the
schools that need it most.
The e-rate alone has provided
Internet access for childre,n in more than 1 million classrooms.
Our total investment in educational technology at the federal level
(including the e-rate) has increased from $23 million in 1993 to over $3
billion today.
Grants supported by the· Department of Education are
new teachers to use technology effectively in the classroom.
In addition, President Clinton and
Vice~President
400,000
Gore have worked to:
Expand access to technology for people with disabilities: President
and Vice President Gore have been strong supporters of efforts
to make technology more accessible for people with disabilities.
Recent
actions by the
Communications Commission will help ensure that
telecommunications equipment, such as cellular phones, is
to be
accessibie for people with disabilities.
Expand access to technology in under-served communities: In addition
·to the Community Technology Center program, HOD Sec. Andrew Cuomo has
created approximately 500 Neighborhood Network learning centers that
bring state of the art technology ·to publicly-assisted housing across
America.
HOD's Neighborhood Networks are innovative private/public
partnerships that establish computer-based multi-service centers to help
people in publicly-assisted housing learn critical computer skills and
prepare for 21st century jobs.
Ensure that
Administration makes
ing the Digital Divide a top
priority.
In December, 1999, President Clinton directed members of the
Cabinet to take
fic actions to address the digital divide:
President Clinton is directing members of his Cabinet (Secretaries of
Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Orban
Qevelopment, and Labo~) to take specific steps to close the
Divide, including:
Continuing to measure the nature and extent of the
examining the importance of income, education, race,
and age to Americans' access to Information
tools;
divide by
, geography
\
Expanding the network of Community Technology Centers to
access to technology for those Americans who can't afford it;
Promoting applications of the Internet that will empower: iow-income
families, such as the ability to start their own business; and
Upgrading the IT skills of 'workers ,in low-income communities.
60f7
2/13/200010:01 PM
�Discounted Teleconmmnicatiol1s Serv ... and Libraries -- E-Rate Fact Sheet
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/comm-mit.html
THE
Office of Educational Technology
Discounted Telecommunications Services for
Schools and Libraries
13:- Rate Fact Sheet
"Until eve,y child has a computer in the classroom and the
skills to use it.... untif evelY student can tap the enormous
resources of the Internet .... until evelY high-tech company
canFndsk;-lIed workers to fill its high-wagejobs .... America
will miss thefull promise of the I'~formation Age."
President Clinton, MIT Commencement
June 5, 1998
Don't Leave Any Children Behind - Ending the Digital
Divide -- We are still a long way from closing the gap
) between the "haves" and "have-nots" opportunity to getting
new technology. The most recent data from the National
Center for Education Statistics shows that wealthy schools
were more than 2 » times more likely to have Internet access
in classrooms than poor schools -- 36% vs. 14%. Similarly,
~schools with high-minority enrollment were almost three
times less likely to have Internet access in classrooms than
predominantly white schools -- 13% vs. 37%. The E-Rate will .
help to ensure the end of the digital divide between rich and
poor schools and. among urban, rural, and suburban schools.
A Long-Serving Tradition of Universal Service -- For more
than 60 years, Americans have benefited from universal
phone service.
A History of Public Support -- Americans want technology
in their children's schools -- now. 74% of Americans agree
that computers improve the quality of education. The decision
to provide discounted telecommunications services to schools
and libraries was the culmination of a lengthy, inclusive, and
bipartisan process, that involved many significant public
meetings, hearing and rulings. The following is a brief
chronology of these events:
• March 1995 -- A bipartisan amendment on universal
service is offered to the Telecommunications Act,
which calls for providing allK-12 public and private
non-profits schools, as well as libraries, with discounts
for telecommunications services.
.
• February 1, 1996 -- The Telecommunications Act is
10f3
9/20/999:51 AM
�Discounted Telecommunications Serv ... and Libraries -~ E-Rate 17ad Sheet
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/comm-mit.html
signed into law by President Clinton. Among its key
objectives are: I) encourage competition in the
telecommunications and broadcasting industry; 2)
reduce regulatory burdens; 3) provide consumers with
greater choice and. lower rates; and 4) expand and
maintain an existing system of universal service that
provides high-cost areas, low income families, and
schools, libraries, and rural health care providers with
affordable access to advanced telecommunications. The
Act l1l~lIldates the creation of a bipartisan Federal-State
Joint Board on Universal Service.
• November 7, 1996 -- Following several public hearings
and meetings, the FCC Joint Board issues
recommendations to implement universal service for
Schools and Libraries.
• May 7, 1997 -- The FCC rules unanimously to provide
all K-12 schools and publlc libraries up to $2.25 billion
a year in discounts for telecommunication services
rangi ng from 20(Yo-to-90% on a sliding-scale formula.
The average cliscount will be about 60% and the poorest
schools will receive discounts of 80%-to-90%. Internet
access and internal connections necessary for
connecti ng classrooms and libraries are subject to
discounts. The E-Rate does not cover computers,
software, or other unrelated services.
• January 30, 1998 -- The 75 day open application
process for schools and libraries to receive discounted
telecommunication services begins.
• April IS, 1998 -- The first round of the E-Rate
application process ends. More than 30,000 applications
are submitted, requesting total discounts worth $2.02
billion.
Providing Equity -- The applications for the E-Rate funds
demonstrate that the program is serving primarily small and
medium size schools and poorer schools. Seventy percent of
the schools anci libraries are seeking discounts totaling less
than $25,000 and fi fly-three percent are seeking less than
$10,000. Fifty-three percent of the total Junds are being
requested by the nation's poorest schools and libraries -- those
that would receive the greatest discounts. The wealthier
schools that have applied for the smaller discounts make up
only .3% of the total funds requested.
Certification Required -- The Schools and Libraries
Corporation (S LC) is conducting a'careful examination of
requests to ensure that only applications that adhere to all
requirements are eligible to receive funding. Schools and
libraries llluSt certify that they have atec1mology assessment
and plan ['or how they will use the discounted services. The
plan must be approvecl by their state agency, and the state or
local authority IllUSt provide a description of the services
sought and how those services will be used to enhance
20f3
9/20/99 9:51 AM
�Discounted Teleconmmnications Serv ...and Libraries -- E-Ratc Fact Sheet
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/comm-mit.html
education.
Already .Paid For -- The Telecommunications Act of 1996
was designed to create regulatory reform including reductions
in access charges to the telecommunications industry. Over
the last 11 months, Ihe long distance companies have already.
saved nearly .4 billion from access charge reductions. This
windfall more than of:Tsets the estimated E-Rate demand of
$2.02 billion. By passing the cost onto the customer and
adding a surcharge to phone bills, these long distance phone
companies are trying to keep that $2.4 billion in savings for
themselves .
• Long distance companies are not wanting for profits -
The March 2, 1998 edition of Business Week indicates
that the profit margin of the telecommunications
industry stood at 8.7% in the 4th quarter of 1997,
significantly greater than the composite profit margin
for all industry of 5.5%.
.
Streamlincd Administration -- The FCC is taking positive
steps to stream I1I1e the administration of universal service. On
January 1, 1999 the S LC and the Rural Health Care
Corporation will be merged and their boards will be
consolidated.
Strong Futurc -- Currently, only 27% of classrooms are
linked to the Internet. With the implementation of the E-Rate,
more than hal f of our nation's classrooms will be connected,
including almost every classroom in the nation's fifty largest
urban school districts. This is an enomlOUS step towards
closing the technology gap that exists among our communities
and creating r'ull and fair opportunities for all students. Our
chi Iclren wi II be better prepared to compete for the high-tech,
high-wage jobs that our economy is producing in record
numbers.
Last update JUlie 9. f 998 (pjl).
==,-=:,,"'-=,-=.,'========
3 of3
9/20/99 9:51 AM
�Distance Learning and the Higher Education Act:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPEIPPIlReauthor/distance.html
Reauthorization ofthe Higher Education Act
=
..
•••m· ••• 'm• •" . ' , . " • • _ _" . .
,,===========
Distance Learning and the Higher Education A.ct:
Making College Easier and More Affordable to Attend
In its proposal for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the Administration is seeking to
broaden opportunities for distance; learners by expanding eligibility for student aid and encouraging
innovative uses ofteclmology by institutions and other education providers, while ensuring the integrity
of these courses and' programs. These proposa Is reflect' changing demographics in postsecondary
education and new ways institutions are delivering higher education, while ensuring that students get
what they pay for and taxpayer dollars are well spent.
According to a recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics, in 1995, 33% of all higher
education institutions offered distance eciucation to more than 700,000 students, and the interest in
providing technology-based education continues to grow rapidly. Institutions are examining new ways to
reach Ollt to students, including working parents, workers that seek additional training to advance, and
students with disabilities. Distance learning provides opportunities to individuals who face such time
and place constraints. The Administration will also pursue different ways -- including working closely
with accrediting agencies and State licensing ~lgencies -- to leam more about distance education and to
gain experience in effectively managing and monitoring the student aid programs in a technology-based
learning environment.
Student Aid (Title IV) Proposal
The Administration's reauthorization proposal for distance education broadens opportunities for distance
learners by expanding institutional anel student aid eligibility, eliminating the different treatments in cost
of attendance between distance learners and oil-campus learners, while ensuring quality through
accreditation. Specifically, the Administration is proposing to:
1. Expand Title IV student aid el igibi Iity for students in distance learning by removing the 50 percent
limitation and restriction at degree-granl.ing institutions. Currently, institutions that offer more
than 50 percent of their courses by distance or have more than 50 percent of their students as
distance learners are ineligible to participate in the Title IV student aid programs. Under the
Administration's proposal, on Iy non-degree granting institutions (i.e. institutions that do not offer
at least one degree program) would remain subject to the current requirements regarding
eligibility. Expanding, at this time, institutional eligibility at degree-granting institutions only is a
cautious approach that provides greater assurance that the distance programs will be high quality
and serve students well.
2. Eliminate the differences in cost of attendance treatments between distance learners and
on-campus learners. Currently. dependent and independent students living off-campus who are
enrolled at least half-time in an eligible program receive an annllalliving allowance for room and
board costs of no less than $1500 and $2500, respectively. The Administration's proposal would
allow distance learners (who are enrolled at least halftime) to include a living allowance in their
need determination, just as the law already allows for students who live at home. This approach is
appropriate in light ofthe societal benefits that result from an educated population regardless of
whether the student attends a residential-based institution or completes a program from a distance.
Tn addition, the Administration is proposing to allow the cost ofeqllipment, including computers,
to be included in a distance learner's cost of attendance. Currently, students receiving all or part of
their instruction through distance are unable to include the cost of equipment in their cost of
attendance.
As noted above, a student must be enrolled at least half-time in order to include the living
allowance in the need determination. The Administration is not proposing any change to this
10f2
9/20/99 9:54 AM
�Distance Learning and the Higher Education Act:
"'"
','
http://www.ed. gOY1otliceslO PE/PPIIReauthorl distance.html
:..
requirement. In other words, (\ student emolled in only one course would not be provided a living
allowance regardless of whether the student took the course by distance or on-campus.
For example, Mary has income of$5,000, lives at home and takes classes full-time at the local
comnmnity college. Alice also lives at home, has the same income, is enrolled in the same
program, but takes all of her classes over the Internet. Both Mary and Alice are dependent students
and there is no contribution from their parents' income or assets in the determination of need.
Tuition and other education expenses 1:01' both students is $1,500. For the 1998-99 award year"
Mary would be eligible for a $2,750 Pel! Grant while Alice would only be eligible for a $1,300
Pell Gra·nt. The difference rellecls I.he fact I.hat Mary is allowed a $1,500 cost of living allowance
in her aid calculation whi Ie Alice -- becluse she is a distance learner -- is not. Under the
Department's proposal, Alice would be eligible for a $2,750 Pell Grant, the same amount as Mary.
3. Ensure accountability 01: distance learning courses and programs through accreditation by
requiring accrediting agencies to have speci fic distance learning standards that, at a minimum,
address issues related to the institution's criteria for (1) selecting students to participate in distance
learning, (2) monitoring student progress, (3) the academic and student support services available
to students, and (4) measuring student outcomes.' Currently, accrediting agencies are required to
assess the quality of an institution by examining, among other things, the institution's curricula,
faculty, facilities, student support services, default rates, and success with respect to student
achievement in relation to its mission, including as appropriate, job placement rates, completion
rates, and professional licensing eXdm pass rates. The Administration's reauthorization proposal
would further require accrediting agencies to have specific standards on distance learning
,
programs or courses at an institution.'
4. Provide the Secretary with the ciuthority to respond where appropriate to distance learning after
more knowledge and experience is gained in this area. For example, the current provisions for
academic year and program length may not apply in the distance learning arena; the proposal
would allow the Secretary to respond accordingly where other alternative measures may be more
appropriate. The Secretary could exercise this authority and remove regulations that do not make
sense for distance learning models and change or replace them with ones that are more tailored
and address the unique chcmlcteristics ol'distance learning.
5. Authorize an independent study to examine the elTectiveness of accrediting agencies and
associations in developing and en forcing the distance learning standards described in the proposed
new section 111 (a)(5) 0 I' the Act. This would provide the Secretary and the Congress with more
infonnatiOll' about this developing (lrea of technology and its impact on the REA programs, and
thereby help to ensure accountability in Ihe field of distance learning.
Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships
In addition, the Administration is proposing a new $30 million competitive grant program that would
supp0I1 pilot projects using distance learning technologies and other innovations to enhance the delivery
of postsecondary education and lifelong learning opportunities to students of all ages. The Learning
Anytil'ne Anywhere Partnership Progralll would encourage partnerships between educational institutions
(including four-year institutions, cOlllmlJnity colleges, technical institutes, adult literacy and education
programs, and regional vocationalltechnical schools that serve adults), community-based organizations,
software and technology developers, learning assessment specialists, and private industry employers in
an effort to deliver a valuable and Ciuality education to a variety of different kinds of students who face
time and place constlLaints. Projects in this initiative will emphasize the development of innovative ways
to ensure quality and measure student achievement that are appropriate to distance education.
-###
Return to Reauthorization page
20f2
9/20/99 9:54 AM
�Falling 1'hro~h the Net: Executive Summary
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn99/execsummary.html
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
fnformation tools, such as the personal computer and the Internet, are increasingly critical to economic
success and personal advancement. Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide finds that more
Americans than ever have access to telephones, computers, and the Internet. At the same time, however,
NTIA has found that there is still a significant "digital dividell separating American information "haves"
and "have nots." Indeed, in many instances, the digital divide has widened in the last year.
This report, NTIA's third in the Falling Through the Net series, relies on December 1998 U.S.
Department of Commerce Census Bureau data to provide an upgated snapshot of the digital divide. The
good news is that Americans are more connected than ever before. Access to computers and the Internet
has soared for people in all demographic groups and geographic locations. At the end of 1998, over 40
percent of American households owned com uters, and one- uarter of all households had Internet •
access.
I IOna
, ose w 0 were less hey 0 ave te ep ones (chiefly, young an minority
l'iOi.iSeholds in rural areas) are n,ow more likely to have phones at home. (Chart I-I),
Accompanying this good news, however, is the persistence of the digital divide between the information
rich (such as Whites, Asians/Pacific Islanders, those with higher incomes, those more educated, and
. dual-parent households) and the information poor (such as those who are younger, those with lower
incomes and education levels, certain minorities, and those in rural areas or central cities). The 1998 data
reveal significant disparities, including the following:
.
• Households with incomes of$15,000 and higher are more than twenty times more likely to have
access to the Internet than those at the lowest income levels, and more than nine times as likely to
have a computer at home. (Chart 1-2)
• Whites are more likely to have access to the Internet from home than Blacks or Hispanics have
from any location.
• Black and Hispanic.households are approximately one-third as likely to have home Internet access
as households of AsianlPacific Islander descent, and roughly two-fifths as likely as White
households. (Chart 1-22)
• Regardless of income level, Americans livin in rural areas are la in
cess.
Tri ee ,at t e owes Income eve s, those in urban areas are more t an twice as likely to have
Internet access,than those eani1ng the same inCome in rural areas.
r
For many groups, the digital divide has widened as the information "haves" outpace the "have nots" in
gaining access to electronic resources. The following gaps with regard to home Internet access are
representative:
• The gaps between White and Hispanic households, and between White and Black households, are
now approximately five percentage points larger than they were in 1997.
• The digital divides based on education and income level have also increased in the last year alone.
Between 1997 and 1998, the divide between those at the highest and lowest education levels
increased 25 percent, and the divide between those at the highest and lowest income levels grew
29 percent.
Nevertheless, the news is not all bleak. For Americans with incomes of$75,000 and higher, the divide
between Whites and Blacks has actually narrowed considerably in the last year. This finding suggests
that the most affluent American families, irrespective ofrace, are connecting to the Net. If prices of
computers and the Internet decline further, the divide between the information "haves" and "have nots"
may continue to narrow.
Until every home can afford access to information resources, however, we willlleed public policies and
private initiatives to expand affordable access to those resources. The Clinton Administration is
committed to connecting all Americans to the National Information Infrastructure. Pro-competition·
. policies, to reduce the prices of basic phone and information services, and universal service policies will
continue to be important parts of the solution.
10f2
211312000 10: 11 PM
�Falling 11l\"ou~h the Net: Executive Summary
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn99/execsummary.html
Community access centers (CACs) -- such as schools, libraries, and other public access points -- will
play an important role. The 1998 data demonstrate that community access centers are particularly well
used by those groups who lack access at home or at work. These same groups (such as those with lower
incomes and education levels, certain minorities, and the unemployed) are also using the Internet at
higher rates to search for jobs or take courses. Providing public access to the Internet will help these
groups advance economically, as well as provide them the technical skills to compete professionally in
today's digital economy.
Establishing and supporting community access centers, among other steps, will help ensure that all
Americans can access new technologies. As we enter the Information Age, access to computers and the
lnternet is becoming increasingly vital. It is in everyone's interest to ensure that no American is left
behind.
<-- Introduction
20f2
Table of Contents
Methodology --> .
2/13/2000 10;.11 PM
�January 24, 2QOO - College Board P ... oalition to Close "Digital Divide"
http://www .collegeboard.org/presslhtml9900IhtmVOOO 124.html
news
College Board President to Forn) National Coalition to
Close "Digital Divide"
College Board President. Gaston Caperton today pledged to create a national coalition of .
educators, civil rights leaders, technology executives and elected officials targeted to close
the "digital divide" between affluent and e.conomically disadvantaged' students within five
years.
In an 11 a.m. address in Albany, New York, before more than 700 members ofthe New
York State Council of School Superintendents assembled at the Desmond Hotel,· Caperton
committed the Century-old College Board to supporting professional teacher development
and to closing the technology gap between the "educational haves and have-nots.:'
"The single most un-American aspect of our great society is the lack oftruly equal
educational opportunity," said Caperton, the former two-term governor of West Virginia
who took the helm of the College Board last July. Caperton told the superintendents that his
experience taught him that major contributors to unequal educational opportunity were the
current hit-and-miss classroom access to technology and uneven teacher training.
.
. '
To make technology access universal rather than random, Caperton said that he and the
College Board would call on educators, civil rights leaders, technology companies and
elected officials to commit time and resources to making Internet access available to all
American hjgh school students by 2005.
"I believe that you and I share a common understanding of what works in education and
what should be shared equally," Caperton said to the assembled educators. "Technology
works, professional development works, and a uniform system of world class standards
works."
Expanded Internet Effort
He pointed to a major expansion ofthe College Board's Internet group as a vehicle for
professional development and a source·for educational infonnation, tools and test
preparation at low cost or no cost at all.
.
"We are going to take a lead role in delivering a wide array of professional development
offerings across the academic spectrum -- including Advanced Placement," Caperton said.
The Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) -- which allows high school students to earn. .
college credits while still in high school-- is currently available in some sixty percent of the
nation's high schools. United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley recently praised
. the AP Program as a way to raise national standards, and called for its expansion into every
school in the country.
Caperton also offered the superintendents the resources ofthe "College Board System"-- a
series of diagnostic and early intervention programs designed to enable high school students
to meet the challenging standards ofthe Board's Advanced Placement Program arid to
prepare them for greater success on the SAT® exams. The State of Florida, the
10f2
1/31120005:54 PM
�Januar-y 2.4,.20.00 - College Board P ... oalition to Close "Digital Divide"
http://www .collegeboard. org/press/htmI9900/html/000 124 .html
Archdiocesan School System of Philadelphia and the city of Rochester, New York have
recently taken steps.to adopt the College Board System.
Defends the Performance of School Superintendents
Caperton also offered a spirited defense of school superintendents, who he said were
under-appreciated, underpaid, forced to work with extremely tenuous job security, and often
subjected to unfair criticism.
"Far too many people expect you to solve all the social problems that have not been solved
by political leaders, community leaders, the courts, law enforcement agencies, the clergy
and families," Caperton said.
"Much of the current criticism of education, and the performance of schoo I superintendents,
is couched in terms of the need for 'raising standards'," Caperto.n said.
"I believe in high standards. Standards can be our best friends. But they can only be
implemented if you, as the CEO's of your school districts, have the flexibility to choose
your own team and make your own decisions without constantly being second-guessed by
school boards and public officials," Caperton said. "You can't be given huge responsibility
without being given equal authority."
He further contended that too many public officials focus solely on what is wrong in
education, without celebrating its many successes.
"Folks in power tend to forget that it is the successful, hard work of educators such as
yourselves that has given millions.ofpeople the tools and the confidence to succeed,"
. Caperton said. "The economic boom we have been enjoying is no accident. It is a clear
example of what has ·worked in American education. We just need to make sure everyone
gains access to what works."
.
Press Release Archives
.........................._
...
.::..
,~v~·.~·,,"=
::::..·=-::::~····
..······ ................-....-...-.--.--..-....-.:;~~-- .....-.-_......._.....--. "_.....-
... ...":...--:.-:::~::.:;':'::.::.:=::::::::.:::.;:.::. . :.::.:::.::.:.::::::.::::.:.:::::;;::;:.:.:.:.:::.:.:.:.:.;;:.:.::~;;;
.~~~~':,.:":-..:::.:::.:.,,-:,.:-:;::.: ,,~
libe.. ry •
comaCtiu
help
This entire site protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Byaccessing and u'sing this site, you ag/:ee to be subject to the
"Terms and Conditions Governing Use and Access to College Board Online."
2 of2
1131120005:54 PM
�i, __
http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. ./loma.eop.gov.us/2000/2/3/3 ,text. 1
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ABOUT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Ballou Senior High School
Washington, D.C.
11:35 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT:
Thank you.
Now, all of you sitt
out here
in this audience, you know, some of us speak in public for a living;
others don't.
I thought Darnell was terrific.
Didn't you think he did
a good job?
. )
I am so glad to be here
with all of you at Ba110uSenior
High School.
I thank the band for
for us earlier today -- I
.) And I thank Dr. Durham
thought you all did a
job.
and Dr.
for welcoming me here and for giving me a track and
field jacket, which I will wear happily.
(
. ) I thank the
students who met me.
I want to say a special word of thanks. to the Chairman and CEO
of America On-Line, Steve Case; and for
Learning's President,
Sterling.
I thank them for what they said here today
for the
commitment
have' to
you and young people like you allover
this country a chance to live your dre~ms by making sure you have access
to the technological future that ought to be within reach of every
American.
They don't have to do this; they're
.this because they
know it is the right thing to do. And I thank them for being here.
(Applause. )
;
I want to talk a little today 'about what our job is in the
government, what my job as President is, what Washington's job should
be, to make sure that we can have more stories like the ones I saw from
the students today that Darnell introduced me to. And I want to thank
all the students
showed me what they were
to either
or
to work with computers.
But nothing that the President proposes that
costs any money can be done unless th~ Congress goes
And there
is an enormous amount of interest in the United States Congress today in
both parties, in both the Senate and the House, to do
about
this.
'
And there is a big: delegation from
here, so I want to
introduce them.
I'd like to ask them
stand, and I hope you will
express your appreciation to them.
First of all, Senator Bob Bennett,
from Utah, who headed our Y2K efforts in the Congress. Thank you, sir.
(Applause.)
Congresswoman Maxine Waters from California.
(Applause.)
swoman Sheila Jackson Lee from Texas.
(Applause.)
Congressman
Bill Jefferson from Louisiana.
(Applause. )
sman Adam Smith from
Washington.
(Applause.)
Congresswoman Ellen
from California.
(Applause.)
Congressman David Wu from Oregon.
(Applause.)
And your
representative in CQngress, Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Thank you.
(Applause. )
Did I miss anybody? And' I want to thank your wonderful MaY9r,
who was once a member of our administration, Mayor Anthony Williams.
Stand up, there.
Thank you very much.
(Applause.)
lof7
2/13/2000 10:02 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .Iloma.eop.gov.us/20001213/3.text.l
I want to j~st mention a couple of other people.' First of
all, thank you, Superintendent Ackerman, for welcoming me.
I want to
thank Harris Wofford, who is the head of the
program,. and
Vista.
The AmeriCorps-Vista volunteers are
help solve this
problem of the digital divide allover America.
young
who are
back into our schools, going back into. oUr community,
helping
who otherwise woufdn't have a chance, and earning some
money themselves for college. Some of you
want to consider
joining
when you
out of high school.
'
Stand up, Senator Wofford.
Thank you very much.
.)
I want to thank
Lee from AT&T and Julie Evans from
Net Day for the work they have done to help connect all of our schools to
the
I want to thank three people in our administration
Gene
, my National Economic Advisor, who has worked so hard on
this;
Daley, who is speaking in Harlem on this issue
and I want to thank Vic6 Preiident Gore foi reasons I'll say in a
moment, but he had a
deal to do with what we have been able to
accomplish over the last
years.
I just got a
tour from Darnell, and a chance to
learn how technology is
your educational mission.
Steve Case said, it will
increase when, you become one of
e
'power-up sites. 't'learned every freshman is taking a computer literacy
class.
I learned st0dentsare going on-line to
help ~ith their
homework and learn what
need to do to prepare for college.
I
learned that you can chat
foreign languages with people around the
world and work on projects
scientists from our Naval Research Lab.
I was particularly pleased to learn about Epic
long-term commitment. to
students toward certificates in
careers, and about the way companies like 3M, AT&T and Cisco,
the AFL-CIO, are working to give you additional hardware, software,
teacher
One thing that I think may be a down side from the students'
point of view
it occurred to me when I was driving through the snow
today
is that once we
everybody
you'll still have to go to
school even when you can't
here, because you can just go on the .
(Laughter.)
But I think it's worth the sacri
to give you
a better future.
I wanted to say to you -- to give you some examples. When we
talk about bridging the
divide, what do we mean? We mean that
everybody ought to have access' to,·a
; everybody ought to have
access to the Internet i everybody 'ought to know how to use it and then
we
to make it possible for people to make the maximum use of it.
I ,want to just give you s'ome examples of what this incredibly profound
in our society has wrought in individual lives.
Victor Sheri is a high school junior in Whittier, Alaska.
He
dreams of becoming a
sional mathemat
but he lives in a small
school in our largest but most rural state. So his school doesn't offer
calculus.
His town ,is so remote that he's cut off from
the whole rest of the world for several months every winter.
But he
will soon have the chance to take the classes he needs to pursue his
dream of becoming a mathematician by
on-line.
It wouldn't be
there.
It ought to be there for
person like him, in every rural
area and every innerneighborhood.
the entire United States of
America. ,There are lots of Victor Shens out there.
There are people in
this high school who could become
mathematicians,
20f7
21l3~2000
10:02 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .l/oma.eop.gov.us/2000/2/3/3 .text. 1
professional scientists. There are
like you in every community
in this country -- no one should be shut out of this.
(Applause. )
Listen to this. Two years ago, a man named Clinton Johnson
lost his little ba
125th street in Harlem in New Yotk City.
He
had no savings to
his wife and two children. ,But he found a
community technology center near his home,
HTML code and got
himself a good job as a web developer.
Dale' 0' Reilley, a grandmother of two from Medford, New
was diagnosed nine years ago with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Now, even
though she can no longer move or speak, a
laptop computer allows
her to
voice to her tho,ughts, and she continues to write newspaper
.articles for the Philadelphia
(Applause.)
The areas in America with the highest unemployment are our
Native American reservations.
I visited last year the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in
Dakota, the home of the Oglala Sioux. The
unemployment rate .there is over 70 percent.
We're all looking for new ways for
to do.
They have very gifted artists and crafts and rna
Native American
products. This year, I ordered Christmas gifts from the Pine
reservation over the Internet. They would never be able to market their
across
nation
never, ever .. They wouldn't have the
~oney to do it.
But because
have a web page, people like us can
find them and he.lp· them to build their dreams.
(Applause. )
And before we came out here, I was talking to Steve about -- .1
spent some time a few months ago with the executive of E-Bay out in
Northern California'.
Some of you may have found
on the Net.
It's
a trading site. And the company's gone like crazy, because people love
to buy and sell
It's like an old-fashioned community like the
farmers' market used to be in my hometown on
morning. And
people buy and sell all kinds
on E-Bay. There are now over
20,000
making
woiking for E-Bay, but buying and
selling on
site, and many of
used to be on welfare.
They found
a way through the Net to empower themselves through their minds to have
a different' future.
Now, this is just the beginning.' We have only scratched the
surface.
Imagine what it will be like when every single child in this
'country can just stretch a hand across a keyboard and pull up every book
ever written, every
ing ever created, every symphony or jazz piece
ever composed. When high-speed wireless networks bring distant learning
and telem~dicine to every rural area in this country. When even the'
smallest business can compete worldwide just because
have access td
people across the world through the Net.
This is the future we are tryin'g to build.
In 1994, . when Vice
President Gore and I sponsored the first Net Day to begin to hook all of
our schools and all of our classrooms up to the Internet, only 3 percent
of the classrooms in America were wired. Since then, the public and the
sectors, through generous grants, through NetDays, volunteer
work, and through the steep discounts that schools can
in access
charges, thanks to the so~called e-rate, which the Vice President
pioneered -- since then, we've gone from 3
of our cl~ssrooms
connected to over half of our classroOms connected. And 90 percent of
the schools in the United States today have at least one connect~on to
~he Internet.
That's a
step forward, and I'm
of that.
(Applause. )
But as you have already heard, there is still a big ~igital
divide in this country. And it runs through income first
low-income
,families are far less likely to have access to the Internet and
3 on
2/13/200010:02 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri- .. .//oma.eop.gov.usI2000/2/3/3. text. 1
computers. There is-also, .for reasons we don't entirely understand,
there is a separate racial and ethnic component to it. Among low-income
families, African American and
families are less likely than
other low-income families to have computers and to be hooked up to the
Internet.
We also know that people who live in rural areas, regardless
of their race, are far, far less likely to own computers, and to be
wired to the Net
even though they, in some ways, need it
than
anybody else because of their
isolation. And that
s is most
. pronounced in Indian country in the United States.
Eventually this digital divide
businesses of the
workers
need.
That's why I was so
training
here, to learn how to use and to repair
It could also widen
inequality in our society between people, based on who's connected and
who's not.
Now, at a time when our country has ,the
economic
expansion in history and the lowest unemployment rate in 30 years, and
the lowest minority unemployment.rates ever recorded, we must close the
digital divide.
We have worked too hard to turn this country around and
to get it going in the right
ion, to.let all this
of
young people wind up with
inequality, when we have a'
to
have greater equal
of opportunity .in America than ever in 'our
history.
(Applause. )
.
,
Some of you may know that I have been going around America
holding what I call New Markets tours, to make the argument that with
all the prosperity of the
now is the time to
ze and be
about the fact that not every community has felt the economic
of the last few years, and that is our obligation, to bring
economic.opportunity to all the neighborhoods, and all the rural areas,
and all the Indian reservations, where they don~t know ~here has been a
recovery because it hasn't changed their lives.
If we don't to it now,
we will never get. around to doing this. Now is the time to do it.
In
, I am going to lead one of these New Markets tours,
focused only on this issue -the
divide. What can we
do to have the kind of stories I saw in your classroom today and every
classroom Jand every neighborhood, among every group in every community
in the United States? And I've asked
s to help me. And I want
to talk a little bit about what I think our job is.
'First of all, we ought to have a
I believe in having
If you have big goals
you work towards them, even if you
get there, you look around and you find you've come a
way .. If you don't have
goals, you don't get much dorte. What should
our big goal be? Our big goal should be to make connection to the
Internet as com.rnon as connection to
is today.
That's what
our big goal ought to be.
(Applause. )
And I think we should start by making sure that every
. community has a technology center that serves not just young
, but
adults as ~ell.
.J Yes, you can clap for that -- that's all
right.
(Applause. ) I don't want to take credit for this.
We started
doing this two years ago because Congresswoman Maxine Waters from
California, who is here today, who was then chairman of the
Congressional Black Caucus; brought this idea to our attention.
She
you ought to have community technology centers everywhere for the
adul ts, for the
who aren't in the schools.
heed access to
this, too.
These centers were working so
we t
our
investment in them last year. And I have
Congress a budget that
will triple our investment in them again so we can have 1,000 community
40f7
2/1312000' 10:02 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-...I/oma.eop.gov.usI200012/3/3 .text.l
centers
computers serving the adults of America who otherwise would
not have access to them.' Thank you very much, Congresswoman Waters, and
I hope we can pass it.
(Applause. ).
0
Second, we want to join with the
sector to bring more
computers and Internet access into the homes of low~income
ed members of the high-tech community have already helped
to help us on this.
I know of at least two
in
America where there is a serious program, thanks to the private sector,
not only to hook up all the classrooms, but to give more low-income
students' parents computers in their homes and make sure they. know how
to e-mail the school, and keep working back and forth on
homework,
on 'the progress of life in school.
(Applause.J
In one of these districts in particular,
New Jersey, where
a lot of the students are first-generation immigrants whose
'
main language is not
, there has been an
in student
performance, in part because the Net has enabled the
who are
working all day, who are busy, who hardly have enough money to support
their children, but because they(re connected, they can be
involved through e-mail in their children's education.
It made a big
di
And we need to recognize that as much as we can do with the
community centers; which we ought to do now, eventually we're
to
have to
home access to low-income
just like the rest of us
have, and I think we should'be working on it.
(Applause.)
Third
I want to do is to ask
to
private
a couple of billion dollars ~- that's a lot of money
in tax
incentives to get them to, build and support these community technology
centers, donate quality computers and provide
training.
Fourth, I. want to do more to
this is a big issue -- I
bet you notice .this herei I bet some teachers know this -- we must do
more to give quality techndlogy training to all of our new teachers in
Nnerica, to make sure they're as
with computers as they are with
textbooks.
You can have all the computers in the world, and if the kids
know more about it than the teachers
which is often th~ case, at
least, if
're as technologically challenged as I
been in my
life --we'll be behind.
Why should we expect teachers, who did not grow up in the
age, to just know everything they should know to teach the kids
everything they can teach to maximize this? We should do more. We owe
it to the teachers of this country to
them all the training
need to maximize all this hardware and software that we're doing our
best to put at their
, and at the use of their students.
(Applause. )
,Next thing we need to do is bring high-speed networks to
underserved communities .. Businesses are looking for high-speed Internet
access when they
new sites.' One of the problems I've
in
trying to conv~nce people that, even with tax incentives, they ought to
go to isolated areas is,
don't have high-speed Internet access, and
time is money.
So. it's very important to do that.
And finally, we want to triple our investment in our Commerce
Department's Technology Opportunity Program, to create innovative
appiications of technology for all low-income communities.
For example,
we want to have health information
that raise childhood
immunization rates in inner ci.ties. We want to have mentoring for
at-risk youth that can be done via the Internet.
We
there are a
lot of things that can be done to lift the lives of low-indome people,
and to bring benefits to them that normally aren't there, i~ w~ just
think about it and we
people the tools· who live in these
communities to think about it and find ways t'o maximize their future.
50f7
2/13/2000 10:02 PM
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .I/oma.eop.gov.us/2000/2/3/3 .text. 1
It would be a te
irony 0 our time if these tools, these
ion revolutionary tools that are breaking down barriers all 'over
the world -- and I'll just
you one more fact -~ when I became'
, President -- now, to the ,kids, this seems like a long time ago, but for
the adults, it won't be
when t became Pres
seven years and two
weeks, ago, there were 50
50 sites on the Worldwide Web -- 50. Today,
are over 50 million. And it's, the fastest-growing'means of
communication
history by far.
even comes close.
And as a result, I told somebody the other
-- you know, I
come from a small town in rural Aikansas, and I've got a cousin that
plays chess once or twice a week with a guy in Australia.
I mean, it's
unbelievabLe.
This is the kind of things that's going on; This tool is
breaking down barriers between nationi and cultures, and
us to
come together, and it's opening up all these wonderful opportunities.
it would be a
if we allowed this instrument that is also
breaking down barriers to build up new barriers t o '
living their
dreams
because they didn't have access to it., That's what this
whole
is about.
There are kids in this gym today who, ina former time, might
never, have been able to even think about getting an education in some
sort of esoteric technology or scientific subject that will see
something on the web that will spark your interest, and that you will
then be able to pursue, could change your whole life.
It would be wrong
for you not to have that ~pportunity.
There are
here today who will understand that they can
use this tool to make a living and to create economic opportunity in
this part of Washington, D.C. that's never been
It would be
wrong for you not to have that opportunity. There are people here today
who carr find out information ~bout thin~s
already exist.
I saw --,one young woman was looking at the
she
should ask in going to college.
one ~f you should know that
on the books, we have passed
credits, scholarships and loans
so that at least two years of college is affordable to everybody in
I don't care how poor .you are. And if the Congress passes
before them now, four years of college will be
everybody "in America,' I don't care what your income is.
You need to know that.
(Applause.,)
And it will be tragic if this instrument, that has done more
to break down barriers between people than anything in all of human
history, built a new wall because not everybody had access to it.
That's what this whole deal's about.
Steve Case and I were talking when Darnell was up here
talking, and he said, you know, I'm not
anymore, and he did that
sort of, oh, shucks, routine, ,. ~ou know?
.J I told Steve Case,
I said, boy, he is really good.
(
And Steve said, yes, I'm
glad I don't have, to follow him.
(
I want every American to
have a story like Darnell's. And this tool means that we don't ha~e to
give up on anybody. We don't have to leave anybody behind. We can all
'go forward together in the most exciting age this country has ever
known. And we're here to tell you we will do oui best to make sure you
'go.
,
And I want to close, as Mr. Case did, by saying" it doesn't
matter what technology you
before you -- to the students
if you
don't do your part.
You've still got to be able to
You've still
got to be curious
to want to learn.
You've still got to be
disciplined enough to be willing to work. But if you get your heart and
your mind engaged, there should be no barrier to letting you live your
60f7 '
2/13/2000 10:02 PM '
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.. .//oma.eop.gov.us/2000/2/3/3 .text.l
.;
'1
•
III
dreams tomorrow.
down.
And we're going to do our best to take the barriers
Thank you, and God bless you.
END
7 of?
(Applause. )
12:01 P.M. EST
211 3/2000 10:02 PM
�Tht} education community's Independent daily news service ___..,..----:.._______..;;...._
La. School Board Election
Setup OK'd By High Court·
.
\
The Supreme Court yesterday barred the fed
, eral government from blocking changes In
state and local elections considered discrimina
tory when the result would not disadvantage .
minority voters.
The 5-4 decision in a Louisiana case held that
the government has no authority under a pro
vision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act to bar
election changes when they fail to improve mi
nority influence at the polls for discriminatory
reasons;
'The high court allowed the current election
scheme for the; 12-member school board in
Bossier Parish, La. The majority, led by Jus
tice Antonin Scalia, denied the federal gov
. ernment the authority to reject proposed
.
changes to voting districts that are drawn with
a discriminatory intent when the result leaves
minority voters no worse off.
No Backsliding
The ruling applies to all states and counties
covered by the law.· ,
Section 5'of the act-which requires govern
ment approval of election changes to guard
against voting practices with discriminatory
purposes or effects-"is nothing more than a
determination that the voting change is no
more dilutive than what it replaces," Scalia
wrote.
Chief JUstice William Rehnquist and Justices
Sandra Day O'CoI:mor, Anthony Kennedy and
Clarence Thomas joined him.
That section of the law "prevents nothing but
backsliding," Scalia wrote.
Although the government has no authority to
bar-in advance-an election change that does
not improve minority-voting strength, once
Changes are instituted,· a challenge may be
(more on p. ·2)
Vol. 33,
~o,
15 •
~uesday,
January 25, 2000
Calif. Study: Revamp Special Ed
Classroom Formulas ............................... Page 3
NEGP Report Looks At
State Progress On National Goals ......... Page 4 .
Funding Alert ................... :....................... Page 5
College Board To Lead
'Digital Divide' Coalition
The College Board is gathering a coalition of
education. civil rights and technology leaders
to address the "digital divide" in American
education, the group's president announced·
yesterday.
!'The singte most un-American aspect of our .
great SOCiety is the lack of truly equal educa
tional opportunity," Co11.eg~ Board president·
Gaston Caperton told the New York State
Councii of School Superintendents at their .
meeting in Albany., .
He said the coalition's goal will be to close the
gap between rich and poor students' technology
. access by 2005. "I believe that you and I share'
a common understanding of what works in
education and what should be shared equally,"
Caperton said.' "Technology works, profes
. sional development works, and a unifo~m sys
tem of world class standards works."
"[The coalition is] in its nascent stage," said
John Hamill, executive director for public af
. fairs of the College Board, which commissions
the SAT.
Caperton, a former Democratic governor of
West Virginia, plans to solicit members in the
coming weeks. Hewill seek leaders from
(more on p. 3)
�,.,lanuaL':y 25, 2000. Education Daily
Page 3
Calif. Study: Revamp Special Ed Classroom Formulas
California should, in most instances, revamp
its funding formulas for the construction or
modernization of special education classrooms,
according to a recently released state a~alysis.
A new statute adopted in 1998 reformed the
state's facility grants program, basing funding
on the number of special ed students, their
placeme'nt settings, and the severity of their
disabilities. Those regulations were adopted
on an interim basis, pending the recommenda
tions ofthe California Legislative Analyst's
Office.
But the office says the state 'legislature should
go back to the drawing board. Classifying stu
dents is an unnecessary burden on local school .
districts,according to the report, which was
released earlier this month.
Base Funding On All Kids.
Instead, the report recommends that funding .
be based on the total number of pupils enrolled'
in a school and the total number of classrooms;
Any need for additional classrooms should be
determined based on a state average for .all
placements, both special and regular educa
tion, the report says.. ;'
The report argues this would provide districts
some needed flexibility; preclude any incentive
for classifying pupils in a way to maximize
state funds; lower administrative costs by
eliminating some recordkeeping and reporting;
and reduce state review costs.
, But some drawbacks remain, including dimin
ished state .overSight, imprecise dispensation of
.
funds and added responsibility for local
authorities.
About two-thirds of CaliforQia's'roughly
600,000 special education students are placed'
in a "Designated Instruction and Resource
Specialist" setting, .which is essentially a
regular education class with additional serv
ices provided from time to time in a separate
classroom.
Most of the remaining special ed stude(lts are
placed in "Special Day Class," a more costly
setting with tailored seryice& where students
spend the majority of the day.
State guidelines say that DeSignated Instruc-'
tion facilities are already pro~ided for under
'. the normal K-12 funding streams, meaning
'that ~he bulk of the special ed facilities grants
go to Special Day Classes.
Even though the number of students in such
settings is typically half the number in regular
classrooms, the Special Day Classes need to be
larger in order to store wheelchairs and other
equipment; provide restrooms with direct
classroom access; 'and include "qaily living-skill
areas,"· such as kitchens.
Under the report's proposed funding plan, the
disproportionate cost of Special Day Classes
would be taken into account under a uniform
grant to all pupils. Construction grants would
range between $5,300 and $7,300 per, pupil,
depending on the grade; modernization grants.
would likewise range from $2,300 to $3,200~
"Special Education Facilities Funding Report'"
is available online at www.iao.ca.gov.
-Michael Cardman
,
'
College Board Takes On
'Digital Divide' (C~nt. from p. 1).
education, govermnent, civil rights and busi
ness circles, induding "big players': in the
technology industry, Hamill said.
. ,
"
"
Strong representation from civil rights groups
is key because race plays a central role in the
technology gap, he explained.
The first step will be to form a working group
that includes a cross-section of .constituencies
. affected by the digital divide; Ac~ivities will be
determined once the coalition is established.
Training to help teachers use technology in the
classroom will be a major focus of the coalition,
Hamill added. "The difference between this
. and other efforts is that they want to build
[professional devefopmentj into it," he said.
Last week, Intel, Microsoft and other technol
ogy giants launched a massive teachertechnol
ogy training initiative (ED, Jan. 24). Together,
the companies pledged more than $400 million
in cash, products and services. The sponsors
say it is the largest such effort to date.
-Hannah R. Gladfelter
.
�02/10/99 - .Feature: Going the Distance - Education Week
•
i.
~.
wysiwyg:1/58/http://www .edweek.org/ew/vol-18122iowa.h 18
0'
ITllCllER MAGAZINE
Going the Distance
The highway heading east from Sioux City is
ruler-straight, with little on either side but
miles and miles of barren Iowa cornfields
"'''',,,,,..,,,,, in snow. Only the 18-wheelers
down the four-lane road, which soon
narrows to two lanes, interrupt the monotony.
It's not the kind of landscape that brings in
many visitors. Or, for that matter, teachers.
Read an
accompanying
story, "Public or
Private?," in This
Week's News.
c~
Read our feature
story, "Program
Puts Teachers
On-Line," Nov. 4,
1998, about a
distance education
program in Alaska.
Two-way,
interactive
videoconferences
are the next-best
thing to being there
for Iowa students
who are benefiting
from a pioneering
state
telecommunications
network.
Though Iowa schools are the pride of their
communities and compare well nationally in
achievement, ~'math and science teachers are
hard t6 come by" in the more rural areas, says
Kenneth J. McKenna, the principal of Battle Creek/Ida Grove Senior High
School, located about a half-hour's drive off the main drag.
Specialty courses such as Advanced Placement classes or foreign .
languages are even more of a problem. Even when teachers are available
to teach such subjects, there aren't always enough interested students to
justify paying their salmies, says McKenna, whose school enrolls about
300 students in grades 9':12.
That's one reason he's thankful for the Iowa Communications Network,
the only completely state-owned and -operated telecommunications
network in the nation. The fiber-optic network allows schools to
communicate not only over the Internet, but also by television-quality
video and audio.
This year, Battle Creek/Ida Grove and three other nearby high schools are
using the ICN to share about 10 televised courses--including psychology,
AP U.S. history, advanced speech, calculus, languages, and a
college-credit medical-professions course--that would be impossible for
each school to offer separately. In cases where a televised course
duplicates one that another school offers, it helps students accommodate
jam-packed schedules.
"It makes so much sense to be sharing. All of a sudden, I can offer one
course and get seven back," McKenna says.
While schools in many states receive televised courses, mostly via
satellite broadcast, no other state has promoted interactive televised
instruction, and underwritten it, like Iowa has.
"It's a demonstration to the country of what can happen in a fairly small,
. rural state to provide equitable opportunities," says Pamela A.
10f7
11/5119994:15 PM
�.
02110/99 - Feature: Going the Distance Education Week
.
wysiwyg://58/http://www.edweek.org/ewlvol-18/22iowa.h18
Pfitzenmaier, who, as the director of educational telecommunications at
Iowa Public Television, coordinates the educational activities ofth~ ICN.
r'
.
Since 1989, when construction ofthe ICN began, 340 schools have
installed interactive classrooms that allow them to carry live, two-way
video teleconferences for a bargain-basement line charge of $5.25 an
hour, a cost that is heavily subsidized by the state. And schools can often
arrange to use more than 200 interactive sites at area education agencies,
libraries, colleges and universities, and National Guard annories.
As a result, Iowa is uniquely positioned to take advantage of what some
educators predict will be the next big instructional trend in K-12 schools:
distance learning.
For years, rural schools have received television-based classes broadcast
by satellite or cable TV. Now the Internet, via World Wide Web sites and
e-mail, and interactive television are allowing new fonns of distance
learning.
Internet-based courses tend to be "asynchronous," meaning they don't
involve simultaneous interaction between teachers and students. Marty
experts believe this approach is more appropriate for adult learners than
teenagers. The Internet can transmit real-time "compressed" video, but it
is usually of poor quality.
[
Interactive television, meanwhile, offers an immediate means of
communication that allows teachers and students to respond to each other
almost as if they were in the same classroom.
Experts disagree over whether interactive television or the Internet will
prove more successful in the long run. Fortunately for Iowa schools, the
ICN gives them both options.
Iowa schools have taken to the icn with greater enthusiasm every year.
Last fall semester, K-12 schools in the state used their interactive
classrooms for a total of 30,907 classroom hours--up from 22,821
classroom hours in the fall of 1997. (A one-hour class transmitted to five
schools is counted as five classroom hours.)
At the same time, most observers agree that the network's potential has
barely begun to be tapped, and many schools' interactive rooms are only
occasionally used.
\
The course-sharing arrangement in western Iowa is one of the ICN's
success stories. Four years ago, after Battle Creek/Ida Grove installed one
of the first school ICN labs in the state, McKenna and Superintendent Joe
Graves noticed the equipment was collecting dust.
"It was sitting there idle most of the time," McKenna recalls. "It seemed
like a $50,000 white elephant."
The district had no budget for purchasing video courses from out-of-state
colleges or commercial distance-learning providers. So in 1996, McKenna
wrote letters to other high schools in northwest Iowa, inviting them to
start a course-sharing league over the ICN.
20f7
11/5119994:15 PM
�02110/99 - Feature: Going the Distance - Education Week
,
.
wysiwyg:1158/http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-18122iowa.hI8
The deal was simple: Any school that provided a course, free, to the
others would be entitled to any and all other courses at no expense. Their
only cost would be the ICN's hourly line charge.
Since 1996, the league has been as large as five schools. Currently, it's
four.
"The more the merrier," McKenna says. More schools means more
options, and more ways to get a good match between school calendars,
class schedules, and subject-area needs.
The shared courses take place in each school's interactive classroom. In
each room, three large-screen television sets are mounted high ori the
walls. There are also three video cameras, one at the back of the. room
trained on the teacher, one at the front aimed at the students' rows of
tables, and one mounted on the ceiling above the teacher's table to take
images of documents.
A computer on the desk allows the teacher in charge to choose camera
shots that all the classrooms will receive. Students share desktop
microphones; the teacher usually uses a clip-on mike. A telephone and a
fax machine complete the setup.
On a recent Tuesday morning, Battle Creek/Ida Grove is the sending
school for AP U.S. History. Nine 11th and 12th graders share the same
room with Kate Kramer, the teacher, while the class's nine other
students--visible on 32-inch television screens--report from Woodbury
. Central, Maple Valley,3nd RockwellCity high schools, up to 65 miles
away.
Today's lesson is a classic--the causes of the Civil War--and the method is
fairly traditional. Students in small groups mull over questions on a
worksheet, writing down their answers before discussing them as a class.
To students at the receiving schools, Kramer is more than a remote video
presence. She calls on them by name, and on this day tosses them
questions at about the same rate as to those in the room with her. Just to
be sure not to miss someone, she occasionally draws a tongue depressor
bearing a student's name from a well-riffled stack of them in her hand. To
that student she directs her next question.
"Can anybody help them out?" she asks into a video camera, when the
Maple Valley High School students falter at defining the "gag laws"
passed by Southern states. The answer comes from the trio at Woodbury
CentraL
"I had some anxiety about teaching on television at first," Kramer says
later. "But I love it now."
During second period, Nate Werneburg, a senior, is the only student using
the ICN room at Battle CreeklIda Grove. He is taking Speech II from
Maple Valley. An adult's presence is required by the league's informal
rules, so an uncertified aide takes a seat at the front of the room; she will
help if needed.
30f7
1115119994:15 PM
�02/10/99 ,. Feature:. Going the Distance - Education Week
wysiwyg://58/http://www.edweek,org/ew/vo!-18/22iowa,hI8
It's perhaps not the most efficient use of the aide's time, but the course
credit will allow Werneburg, 18, to graduate a semester early, a week
before he reports to the U.S. Navy.
Werneburg says the class--the first he has taken online--has been a good
experience, with a fine teacher that he otherwise never would have
known. "This is one of my funner classes," he says. "I learned to give an
after-dinner speech."
Later that day, and 45 miles away in the town of Moville, Woodbury
Central High is getting its tum to send a course out to the other schools in
the league--in this case a medical-professions course taught by Tom
Chartier.
Chartier, a 50-year-old with a wry smile, leads 17 students--all girls--in a
review before the semester final, in Woodbury's sleek interactive-video
classroom.
Ten of those students appear on 50-inch screens on the wall, trom Ida
Grove. They discuss the rules of medical documentation and the medical
definitions of "abandonment" and "cryonics" and traits of a health-care
provider.
The yearlong class is especially valuable to the students because it will
eam them college credit. Chartier, who is college-certified, teaches the
combined class only two days a week over the ICN. Then a teacher in Ida
Grove leads the students at that school the rest of the week. But all the
students are eligible for college credit from Western Iowa Tech
Community College.
Chartier, who has taught for 28 years, says the video classes took some
getting used to, starting with figuring out how to control the cameras so
students in the remote classrooms saw what he wanted them to see on
their screens. He has learned through experience, with the help of a
training session at Western Iowa Tech two years ago.
Teachers need two things to make the arrangement work, Chartier says.
First, the equipment has to function reliably, which requires solid
t~chnical support. Second, the teacher needs to release his grip on the
airwaves.
Chartier says that when he first started using video, he felt as though he
had to be presenting information all the time. But now he pennits silences
so students can make notes or think, and he leaves five minutes at the end
of class for students to chat with one another.
Perhaps because of such efforts, Chartier says the remote students perform
equally with those in his actual classroom. But he does say the students .
who aren't in the room need special qualities. "People who succeed have
to be strong in comprehension, reading, and have good listening skills,"
he says. "Without that, there could be a little bit of trouble. They have to
be able to focus on a screen.
II
40f7
11/5/1999 4: 15 PM
�02/10199 ~ Feature.: Going the Distance - Education Week
.,.
;
wysiwyg:1I 58Ihttp://w:Ww.edweek.orglewIvo1-18/22iowa.h18
,
rOne'complaint some observers have about Iowa's distance education
'-classes IS that they don't take advantage of the technology to teach in
innovative ways. Teachers often provide information in standard lecture
style, with the usual questions and discussions one would find in any
traditional classroom.
Pfitzenmaier of Iowa Public Television says that's partly a limitation of
the network's current architecture.
She says technical changes being planned will eventually--pending state
funding--allow compressed video to go to individual desktop computers
throughout a school, which should support a whole range of educational
software and alternative approaches.
One complaint
some observers
have about
Iowa's distance
education classes
is that they don't
take advantage of
the technology to
teach in
innovative ways.
Yet ICN administrators say that lecture and
discussion are still efficient and effective ways to
present material, and that the schools also have
computer labs that permit a range of other
learning methods.
In the meantime, McKenna tries to place
above-average or better-motivated students into
the classes at Ida Grove.
Superintendent Graves, who has taught a
graduate class over the ICN, says, "Even with
graduate st~dents it's much easier to lose the
student, much easier [for him or her] to escape mentally."
rDistance learning also requires a special type of teacher, McKenna says.
It's challenging to keep track o.f papers and gradf!s for students at all the
sites as well as to orchestrate everyone's active participation in class, so
flexibility and organizational skills are crucial, he says.
The biggest hassles of course sharing, in practical terms, ate the schedule
·'and calendar conflicts, Iowa educators say.
"This is a kind of a pain to set up and do," Graves admits.
"A lot of people are letting pretty small things keep [them] from sharing,
like their schedule's three minutes apart," says Jim Christensen, the
distance-learning coordinator for the Western Hills Area Education
Agency, which serves the state school system's Area 12 in western Iowa.
The key to success, school officials agree, is flexibility. To accommodate
schedule differences between schools, Battle CreekfldaGrove students
who are taking ICN classes are often allowed to leave their previous
classes five minutes early or arrive late.
Early periods of the school day are easier to schedule with other schools.
By lunch, often the trickiest time of day to schedule, "you can just about
forget it," Principal McKenna says.
Schools that haven't been able to work things out as flexibly as Battle
Creek/Ida Grove can use the ICN for limited projects and for special
5 on
1115/19994:15 PM
�02110/99
.
'
!eature:.~oing
the Distance Education Week
wysiwyg:I/5 8/http://www .edweek.org/ew/vol-18/22 iowa.hi8
.
events.
For example, Christensen ar-ranged a series of live question-and-answer
sessions last fall between students in Iowa classrooms and astronauts at
NASA's Johnston Space Center near Houston. For each hour-long session,
he says, participating classes spent about 10 hours of preparation and
study.
.
And a 5th grade class at Lincoln Elementary School in Sioux City has
used the ICN to visit with pen pals in an elementary school in Wales.
Once a month, Lisa Frink's students go to a nearby National Guard
Armory building that has an interactive-video room and talk with the
Welsh students. They have written a story together and shared cultural
lore. Before the December holidays, the students did a statistical study of
the most desired Christmas gifts; they found that electronic toys and
Barbies topped the wish lists at both schools.
Yet Frink is the only teacher at Lincoln using the ICN. This is the first
year the school has had access to the network.
. The Iowa Department of Education, the ICN schedulers in the state's 12
area education agencies, and the community colleges are trying to
increase use of the network by helping schools match up with one another.
Iowa Public Television maintains the Iowa Database, a Web site that posts
the ICN's master schedule as well as educational "want ads" from schools
looking for offerings, say, of Russian language, or scores of online field
trips and joint class activities, some of them sponsored by state or federal
grants.
"Short of developing a common schedule, that's about the best you can
do," Rich Gross, a technology consultant for the state education
department, says.
.
McKenna notes that standardization and cooperation do not come easily
to Iowa, which is so committed to local school autonomy that it has defied
the nationwide trend toward state curriculum standards.
"The only way to make it really work is for everyone to have the same
calendar and the same schedule--and that will never happen in Iowa--or at
least that's the only way to make it work better," McKenna says.
Battle Creek/Ida Grove Senior High has been successful,. he says, because
"we work hard trying to find people that are compatible."
On the Web
Read more about the Iowa Communications Network, including a clickable map oflCN
video sites. Read how "Students Learn 'Real World' Chemistry Through Supplemental
Curriculum. "
"Iowa: Students and the Caucuses," from "The Citizens Election Project," a Pew Center
for Civic Journalism Project, looks at how the ICN linked prospective first-time voters
with presidential candidates.
To learn more about distance education, browse through the "Distance Education'
Clearinghouse," from the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Includes a list of online
journals.
-
60f7
1115/19994:15 PM
�Distance Learning:
Funding Sources
Districts are \using various funding sources to provide this AP opportunity to
their students, including general curriculum funds, gifted/talented monies and
funding to support math education.
Some states and localities have special funding available as well:
Federal Government
• Advanced Placement Incentive Program
Purpose of Program: The primary purpose of the Advanced Placement
Incentive Program is to enable States to reimburse part or all of the cost of
advanced placement test fees for low-income individuals who (1) are enrolled
in an advanced placement class; and (2) plan to take an advanced
placement test. In addition, a State educational agency (SEA) in'a State in
which no eligible low-income individual is required to pay more than a
nominal fee to take advanced placement tests in core subjects may use any
grant funds, that remain after test fees have been paid on behalf of all
eligible low-income individuals, for activities directly related to increasing (a)
the enrollment of low-income individuals in advanced placement courses; (b)
-,the participation of low-income individuals in advanced placement tests;
and (c) the availability of advanced placement coqrses in schools serving
high- poverty areas. This program is authorized under Title VIII, Part B, of
the Higher Education Amendments·of 1998 (1998 Amendments) (20 U.S.C.
1070a-11, note). Who May Apply: SEAs in any State, including the District
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia; and 'the Republic of
Palau.
.
.
•
.
Technology Innovation Challenge Grants
The Clinton Administration selected 20 school district partnerships in 17
states to be awarded grants totaling $30 ,million to help provide the
additional support to me~t the challenge of preparing new teachers, and
supporting existing ones, to teach effectively using technology..
The Technology Innovative Challenge Grant Program serves as a catalyst
for positive change for schools. It supports educators, industry partners,
communIties, parents, and others who are using new technologies to help
bring high quality education to every classroom and neighborhood.
"School districts are forming partnerships with businesses, and community
.
.
organizations across the country to meet the challenge of bringing their
schools and communities into the information age," said President Clinton.
�"These Challenge grants will help schools put computers in classrooms and
provide more training for teachers to use technology to improve their lesson
plans. These grants are one of many efforts needed to ensure that our
students are prepared for the challenges of the 21st century." ,
"The grants focus on enhancing teachers' skills and their professional
development to use computers and advanced learning technologies in their
classrooms," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "Students
will benefit from teachers who are familiar with these rapidly changing
technologi~s and are able to effectively integrate them into their teaching
curriculum. ",.
The 20 school district partnerships receiving new grants are located in
17 states. They win work with partners in 150 school districts, 100
businesses, and 80 colleges and universities, benefitting about one million
students and providing additional training opportunities for thousands of
teachers in these communities.
.
The grants. will range in size from $789,000 to $2 million a year for five
years, and will leverage business and community partners by generating
matching commitments valued at more than $90 million.
Challenge Grant communities work to integrate new technologies into
state or local education improvement efforts that have been stimulated by a
growing national commitment to raising education standards,
Effective use of new technologies in these communities will contribute to '
improved ,student achievement in reading, writing, science, mathematics,
history, the arts and other disciplines. Each project will support effective
training for teachers and promote greater parent and community
involvement in education.
These projects aJso will help smooth the transition'from school to careers
and college by engaging students in real-life learning experiences through
which they can develop the life-long learning skills necessary to navigate the
changing economy.
• Title VI
Title VI supports local education innovations. States must subgrant at
least 85 per cent of funds competitively to school districts to support
activities in eight primary areas: (1) technology related to implementing
reform; (2) acquisition and use of instructional and educational materials,
including library materials and computer software; (3) promising education
reform projects such as magnet schools; (4) programs for at-risk children;
(5) literacy programs for students and their parents; (6) pro-grams for gifted
and talented children; (7) school reform efforts linked to Goals 2000; and (8)
school improvement programs or activities authorized under Title 1.
California
• Digital High School Funds
�• University of California College Prep Initiative (UCCP) funds. The
Initiative was established to provide online college preparatory courses to
high school students who otherwise would not have this opportunity.
Michigan
• Michigan Virtual University.
Michigan high school students go
on~ine
for
~dvanced
Placement courses
LANSING, Mich. - August 10, 1999 - Starting this fall, Michigan high
school students who excel in their everyday classes can 'enroll in online
Advanced Placement (AP) courses through the Michigan Virtual University
(MVU)
Thanks to a new partnership between Michigan Virtual University and APEX
Online Learning, Inc., students across Michigan will be able to earn college
credit via the Internet. In recent years, many high schools have offered
college-level Advanced Placement courses while the student is still in high
school. Not all school districts, however, have been able to offer them, either
due to financial constraints or an insufficient number of interested and
qualified students.
APEX online courses are multimedia, independent study courses that
include 150 hours of curriculum, an online teacher who answers questions
and grades the students' work, and ongoing assessment and reporting.
Creative teams of certified teachers and subject experts design courses that
include learning activities such as tutorials, multi-media simulations and
online discussions.
As an introductory perk, MVU offered 100 course scholarships (one
semester each) to Michigan high schools for ,any· of these online courses:
Calculus AB· (two semester course)
Statistics (two semester course)
Microeconomics (on~ semester course)
U.S. Government and Politics (one semester course)
In conjunction with the scholarships, MVU has been collaborating with the
Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators and the
Michigan Association of School Administrators to offer free training and a
small stipend to the in-school educators who serve as on-site mentors for
the students.
Most colleges look favorably upon applicants who take AP classes, and most
will grant credit or waive a course requirement for students who score well
on AP exams. Students enjoy the flexibility of the onlin~ courses because
3
�they can access the course 24 hours a day on the Internet and work at their
own pace.
The Michigan Virtual UniversitY is an initiative of Governor John Engler,
who in his January State of the State Address cited the need for online
Advanced Placement courses for Michigan students. Jamey Fitzpatrick,
MVU vice president ·of development and education policy, said "Because
these are th~ first Michigan Virtual University offerings to the K-12
community, we had to be particularly careful in selecting a provider that
guarantees high quality course content. The APEX·courses are exactly what
we were looking for and will be essential in establishing our reputation as a
leading provider of distributed learning opportunities."
Rachel Martinez, education manager for APEX, said "We are proud to have
been selected to support Michigan Virtual University's vision to use
technology to offer Michigan students broader access to the· challenging AP
curriculum. And our thanks to Bob McDonough, director of academic
services for the College Board/Midwest, who played an instrumental role in
understanding the educational needs of Michigan and providing solutions
which brought MVU and APEX together."
.
The Michigan Virtual University is a private, not-for-profit Michigan
corporation established in 1998 to deliver eduyation and training through
the innovative use of electronic learning technologies such as the World
Wide Web, intranets and CD-ROMs. MVU serves as a broker and is
developing a slate of distributed learning programs and services throughout
Michigan.
APEX Online Learning is a Seattle-based company that began in 1997 as a
research project of Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft.
It is dedicated to expanding access to learning opportunities
opportunities that help students reach their next educational and
professional goal through online learning. APEX provides effective products
by. combining the interactivity and accessibility of the Internet with the
experience of master teachers and content specialists. Current programming
includes Advanced Placement online courses in five subject areas and AP
exam review.
U
..
Washington State·
. .
.
. A first round of grant applications were being accepted until September 7, 1999
for the.Internet-Based Curriculum Grant Program.
,
,
United States Dept. ofAgriculture:
The Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant and LOan Program (DLT) was
created to encourage, improve, and make affordable the use of
�telecommunications, computer networks arid related technology for rural
communities to improve access to educational and/ or medical services. .
Background, Accomplishments, Initiatives, Applicant Eligibility, Qualifying
Situations, Qualifying Equipment
Background'
The 1990 Farm Bill authorized the Distance Learning and Telemedicine
Grant Program to provide grants to rural schools and health care providers.
The 1996 Farm Bill reauthorized the Distance Learning and Telemedicine .
Grant Program and established a new loan component. The DLT helps rural
schools and health careproviders invest in telecommunications facilities and'
equipment to bring educational and medical resources that otherWise might be
unavailable to rural areas.
Demand for the DLT has been very high; for the four fiscal years from 1993.
through 1996, USDA's Rural Utilities Service received 858 applications seeking
a total of$262 inillion. Due to budget constraints, only $35 million was
available. This moneyfunded 119 projects in 39 states and one U.S. territory.
In January of 1997, ,RUS received $6.5 million in funding authority from the
Fund forRural America. Utilizing these funds, RUS funded an additional 23
projects, bringingthe grand total to 142 grq.ntstotaling $41.5 million .
. Accomplishments - "Real Results"
Funding for telemedicine and distance learning services are having a
profound effect on the quality of life for rural residents. Distance is a barrier
that prevents rural residents from accessing high quality educational and
health care services. Distancelearning and telemedicine services, utilizing
Advanced Telecommunications
'
Technologies, can bridge this distance for rural Americans so that they can
access the same quality education and health care services as the rest of the
nation. Distance Learning Services can provide rural schools, students,
teachers, and parents with many new opportunities. A trip to the local library
in a rural town can be as rewarding as opening the information door to the
world., Parents can receive continuing education courses increasing career
enhancement opportunities. Health and public safety officials can receive
advanced certification training in their local communities without having to
travel to major city c e n t e r s . '
.
The DLT has helped rural residents access the information superhighway,
which offersruraI'Americ'a anuriprecedented opportunity to compete on an
equal footing with, bigcities and with other countries. The information '
super:highway is already bringing jobs, educational and health care services to
rural areas, and more fully integrating rural Americans.into the mainstream of
�the American economy and culture. Yet there also exists adangerthat some
parts of rural America will lack access to "on-line" resources arid will fall even
further behind the rest of the country.
The Administration believes that the information superhighway is crucial to
rural development and recognizes that the Federal government, in partnership'
with the private sector, has an important role to play in en~uring that rural
Americans have full access to those resources.
"
The DLT has facilitated an important step forward. Through four years of
program activity, approximately 704 rural schools and education centers will
. ain access to improved educational resources through the information
g
superhighway by sharing limited teaching resources arid gaining invaluable
access to libraries, training centers, vocational schools, and other institutions
located throughout the country.
Program Initiatives
The program is intended to fund projects which are primarily "dynamic";
i.e., those systems which deliver critically needed educational and medical
services in rural areas through structured interactive educational training
and/ or medical professional presence over distances. Intermittent services
which cannot readily show usage ortangible results such as community
bulletin boards, or Internet Home pages, may beconsidered as adjuncts to
dynamic systems, but would not be suitable as a primarypurpose under 'the
DLT.
The program facilitates "networking'; of multiple dispersed sites over a
geographic area, rather than a single stand alone entity. Applicants must
submit proposals which, to the extent possible, maximize the number of
geographically dispersed sites.
Projects must be driven from the "ground up". For instance, applicants must
document significant local community involvement and input in designing
projects.
Projects funded are required to be self-sustaining without the need for further
grant or loan funding. Ongoing costs for sustaining the proposed system,
through user fees, .tax assessments, school.budgets, or other funding, should,
to the extent possible,originatelocally.
To ensure sustainable projects, RUS endeavors to fund applications which
maximize system utilization and benefits to ruralresidents. For example,
projects which serve mUlti-purposes, such as providing adult education and
vocational training, while also delivering K-12 and college courses, are highly
desirable.
The DLT funds capital costs of acquiring and installing telecommunications
har¢.ware located at schools, hospitals, and other eligible sites. It also funds
other non-recurring capital costs of establishing a distance learning and·
telemedicine system. System operating expenses, including salaries, are not
eligible.
b
�1',
.,'
/,
Applicants should fund telecommunications access and usage fees for'
network transmission facilities through revehuefromthe project, or from
sources other than RUS. Services, should be prov.ided through the local
telephone telecommunications carrier, or other telecommunications provider.
Applicant Eligibility
Rural'schools, libraries, hospitals, health care clinics, and related,
organizations which operat<:; rural educational or health care facilities. Indian
tribes, consortiums or partnerships, and other _incorporated organizations that
, operate educational or medical facilities in rural areas. The DLT is an
exclusively rural program. Urban institutions are encouraged to participate as
network partners; however, grant funding will be provided onlyto facilitate
educational and/or medical services to rural areas. Funds will not be provided
to State or Local governments; however, State supported institutions which
provide educational arid/ or medicalservi~es to rural areas are eligible.
Distance Learning situations incluqe, but are not limited to:'
Linking rural schools within regions to share. limited teaching resources.
Linking a rural school or a grouping of ru~al schools to institutions located in
metropolitan or more populated centers. :u:tilizing rural libraries or other'
community facilities as distance learning centers, linking them with qn-line
resources or regional institutions. Utilizing job training centers, vocational ' .
schools, or other facilities incorporated by job training programs.'
,
Types of Equipment Funded
The DLT is "hardware intensive", hut other costs, limited to the-capital costs
of establishing the project, such as software, training, and technical assistance,
may be considered.
' .
.
, RUS will fund up to 90% of the costs of acquiring eligible equipment for '. .
requested loans. RUS will fund up to 70% o(the costs'of acquiring-eligible
equipment for grants, combination grant and loans, and all applications not
specifically requesting loans. Se-e 7 CFR PartL703 for specific guidelines., '
Examples of eligible equipment:
,
Equipment used for distance learning classrooms, such as:encoding and
decoding devices,' specialized cameras and video monitors, video switchers,
microphone" mixers, co~ puters· and l()cal area networking equiprrient.
PROGRAMS:
APEX:
,'.,
\
"
7
�APEX is an independent educational enterprise that develops and delivers
online Advanced Placement courses to individuals and 'schools. 'The APEX
Project was initiated by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, to bring the full
power of computers and the Internet to online learning for Advanced Placement
students. Because APEX is focused exclusively on Advanced Placement,
courses, APEX is able to concentrate a unique combination of specialized talent
and resources on the development and delivery of these curricula. Using the
unique multimedia and interactive capabilities of the ,Internet, APEX has
developed online courses that offers learning alternative~ for high-achieving
students. Students can earn school credit and prepare for Advanced Placement
exams even when a particular AP course isn't offered at their school, or when
they have scheduling conflicts.
The APEX instructional designers have combined the strengths of master AI'
teachers, the knowledge of content experts, and the power of new Internet'
technology to create comprehensive courses that meet all College Board AP
curriculum requirements. Because the courses are online and created in
advance, students can complete assignments' at their own pace at school or at
home. Each course includes a set oflearning activities and tests that,takes
about ten hours a week to complete.
An APEX "class" is made up of 25 students from across the country and an
online AP teacher dedicated to helping each student master the AP course.
Students interact' with each other during special online <;iiscussion groups to
share information, opinions, and solutions. APEX online teachers interact with
each student via email or phone to answer questions and provide
encouragement, while monitoring progress and evaluating assignments and
tests.
APEX classes give students an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills
necessary to be well-prepared for AP exams, learn new computer skills, and
make friends from around the country.
.
Cost
Tuition for an APEX Advanced Placement course is $395 per semester course "
per student. This fee includes:
.
• Online instructor mentoring and supervision by an experienced AP
teacher.
• A complete curriculum designed ,specifically to meet standards publish,ed
by the College Board.
• Unlimited access to online course materials, including multimedia
tutorials and assessments.
• Special exam rehearsal exercises modeled on actual exam.
• All necessary software~
�• Any requ,ired, texts.
• All registration fees.
Some AP courses are one semester, most are 'two semesters long. Students pay
for each semester separately. Some courses require special application software
(such as computation packages for math) or equipment (such as a graphing
calculator).
' , ',
Technical Requirements
"
To install and run APEX programs, you need to have the following hardware:
• APC with at least a Pentium 75 MHz processor', 16 MB of RAM, and 80
MB* of available hard drive space for a complete installation
• A sound card and speakers or headphones
• A CD-ROM drive.
• A 28.8 kbps speed modem minimum
• Consistent, reliable Internet access at 28.8 KBPS or ,above
• A printer
,. Access at 'least once a week to a f~ machine
And one of the following Operating Systerps:
• WindowsQ5
• Windows98
• or Windows NT 4.0
*Note: The APEX Installation requires 80 megabytes of free hard drive 'space for
a cqmplete installation only. If you currently have Intern.et Explorer 4'.018P1
or later installed on your hard drive, 50'megabytes of free space is adequate.
Academic Requirements
In general, students ;should be self-motivated and good ind,ependent learners.
Good writing skills are important to a ~tudentis ability to succeed in an AP
course,and essay writing is important to do well on the free-response sections
of an AP Exam. Because this course is computer-based, students should have
basic keyboarding skills and be comfortable wi~h basic functions of Windows
95, getting online, using email, and using a word processor.
.
.
ARCHIPELAGO
,
,
.
~
Archipe,lago, a Harcourt Higher: Learning Company, is an educational
multimedia publisher. Archipelago, specializes in the development of content-,
based multimedia and Web sites. Their in,-house staffJnc1udes expert computer
�programmers, animators, graphiC artists and designers, video and audio
producers, editors, project managers, and Web producers. Arcllipelago is
currently developing interactive multimedia course presentations for the
distributed learning environment. These products will provide students with
,the flexibility they need to take course,s anytime, anywhere.
Archipelago brings strong educational credentials and first-hand teaching
experience to its multimedia courses. Archipelago's founder and president Gary
Lopez (Ph.D., marine biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography) began his
work in education as a college instructor and his .work in meqia as a: filmmaker
.
and software designer. Gary's client list includes Encyclopedia Britannica
Educational Corporation, The Cousteau Society, the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, and most major educational publishers. Brian Rowlett
(University of California, San Diego) Archipelago's Vice President Technology,
and Pat Harman (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Director of Art
and Design, also have university-level teaching experience in their disciplines.
This classroom teaching experience, combined with more than fourteen years
of developing educational arid documentary media, makes Archipelago a
unique publisher.
Archipelago Productions was purcha13ed in 1993 by Harcourt General
Corporation -- the parent company of Harcourt, an international publisher with
eleven elementary, secondary, college,px:ofessional, and trade pUblishing units.
Archipelago is a division within this corporation, producing college and high
. school Advanced Placement (AP)-level multimedia products. The company also
works closely with its sister publishing divisions to produce a variety of
educational materials. Over the past several years Archipelago has produced a
number of custom multimedia presentations such as the Saunders Interactive
General Chemistry CD-ROM, Saunders Core Concepts in Physics, Encuentros
- introductory Spanish CD-ROMs, anq. over twenty-five other CD-ROM titles
designed for student purchase and classroom presentation. Also, more than
fifty videodisk products (with a variety of custom features) and over fifty
applications of·the LectureACtiveTM Presentation software are available,
Courses
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA:
As part of the Department of Distance Education, the UNL Independent Study
High School (ISHS), founded in 1929 to help small rural schools, currently
·serves nearly 14,000 enrollments annually from students in all 50 states of the
United States and more than 135 other countries. The Independent Study High
School is fully.accredited by the North Central Association.of Colleges and
Schools a:nd the Nebraska Department of Education and as such is authorized
to grant a fully accredited high school diploma.
�In addition to serving individual diploma students, UNL's ISHS works closely
with local school districts and alternative educational centers to help them.
supplement their curriculum. Schools and adult or community learning
centers use UNL distance education instructional materials for individualized
instruction iri all types of settings, such as their own distance education
programs, in regularly scheduled day classes, in classroom minicourses, or in
programs for at-risk students..
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Independent Study High.School offers a
complete fOlllr-yearhigh school curriculum of more than 130 core and elective
courses in 16 subject matter areas. Students can earn a high school diploma
by taking only distance education courses. However, more than 65% of the
students enrolled in UNL distance education courses use the courses as a .
supplement to their high school curriculum.
Benefits:
• Help students overcome scheduling conflicts.
• Provide courses not offered by your high school,.'
• Offer enrichment courses for advanced students.
• Provide basic courses for special-needs students.
• Provide alternatives for students who cannot attend traditional daytime
classes.
.
,
Courses:
Agriculture
Art
Business
Career Planning
Computers and Technology
Driver Education
English as a Second Language
English
.
Family and Consumer Science
Industrial Education·
. Languages:
• French
• ·German
• Latin
• Spanish
Mathematics
Music:
• Piano
• Theory and Appreciation
Photography
/)
�Science .'.
Social Studies
Study Skills .
�http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/initiatives.adp
DigitatDivide Network
Digital Divide Initiatives
Corporate Initiatives
The AT&T Learning Network: This program offers free .online resources to help
families, schools and communities use technology effectively to enhance teaching and
learning.
Leadership Conversations for the Next America: AT&T is launching "Leadership
Conversations for the Next America" to bring together high school· students, Youth
Opportunity Movement participants and Job Corps' partners with local, state and
national policymakers to discuss economic opportunities, education, job skills and
.
leadership for the 21st century.
Academy of Information Technology: AT&T is helping to launch the Academy of
Information Technology, a high-school level curriculum designed to prepare young
students for the information technology workplace.
Job Corps Funding: AT&T IS investing in the Edison (N.J.) Job Corps program by
developing a three-year initiative to address the shortage of skille.d workers in the
information-technology industry that includes providing paid internships for training
program graduates, mentors, equipment and materials.
Community Technology Centers: AT&T is collaborating with the NAACP, the
National Urban League and the Community Technology Centers' Network to give
under-resourced communities access to technology.
Los Angeles Neighborhood Technology Centers: AT&T supports the Los Angeles
County Office of Education's Technology for Learning initiative, an effort to establish 25
neighborhood-based technology centers. To reach communities of color and other
under-served groups, AT&T is supporting LACOE's partnership with the Greenlining
Institute, a multi-ethnic advocacy center.
Computer Learning: AT&T is supporting The Puente Learning Center in South Central
Los Angeles to help provide free computer-based education programs to children,
youth and adults, and to encourage other community agencies to do the same.
New York City Housing Resources: AT&T is helping settlement houses in New York
City serve as centers where technology resources can be accessed, shared and used by
settlement staff, community residents and program partiCipants. .
&i!L!n!ll!l.lJu:~Ii!.:!!H!~!!LfrJmU!!!!i.
AT&T Broadband and Internet Services offers free
cable modem and service to every school in its area-of service, and through its support
for Cable in the Classroom, provides a free cable connection and over 540 hours per
month of commerCial-free educational programming to schools across the country.
SchOOl Safety: AT&T's Safe School Program provides free AT&T Wireless service and
Ericsson wireless phones to selected schools to support school safety efforts.
GetNetWise: AT&T is a founding sponsor of GetNetWise: You're One Click Away, a
comprehensive Web-based resource designed to ensure parents and families have the
technology tools and tips, safety referral contacts and suggestions on qualitY content
they need to help kids have safe and enriching experiences online.
America Online. Inc.
10f4
2/13/2000 lO:09 PM
�Digita}Di.vide Network
http://www.digitaldividenetwork.orglinitiatives.adp
AOL Rural Telecommunications Leadership Awards: The National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently reported that
among all income groups, rural areas have the lowest online participation rate. To
address this issue, the AOL Foundation is partnering with the, National Center for Small
Communities to manage the AOL Rural Telecommunications Leadership Awards, which
seek to reduce the digital divide by recognizing and promoting telecommunications
innovations in rural areas .
•~~~!El PowerUP is comprised of more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, major
corporations and federal agencies that have joined together to launch a major new
multimillion dollar initiativeto help ensure that America's underserved young people
acquire the skills, experiences and resources they need to succeed in the digital age.
AOL has pledged 100,000 AOL accounts for free Internet access to sites throughout,
the country.
Asian American Technology Hub: The Asian American Federation of New york plans
to launch a technology hub for the Asian Pacific nonprofit community. With the aid of a
major grant, the Asian American Federation will become an Internet Service PrOVider
a\ld will buil!=! the technology infrastructure of community-based organizations,
extending the power of the Internet and computer networking to its 34-member health
and human service agencies throughout the New York metropolitan area that need it
but do'not have the wherewithal to get it. The Federation's ambitious plans for
ushering Asian American non profits into the 21st century and the digital future will
enable not only instant access to community-based news and information, but
communication with Asian communities across the globe.
NAACP Funding: Bell Atlantic enabled the NAACP to improve the Association's
Internet-based communications system with a major challenge grant offered by Bell
Atlantic. The funds will enable the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization
to more effectively communicate with its network of 2,200 branches, units and
chapters across the U.S.
.
Employee and Retiree Activism £) The Bell Atlantic Pioneers: Numbering over
170,000 strong, Bell Atlantic volunteers log in over six million hours a year in donated
time. Bell Atlantic Pioneers are active and retired employees who \iolunteer their time
to help meet the needs of their communities. From painting maps on school
playgrounds, mentoring through Junior Achievement, wiring classrooms for the
Internet, to,swinging hammers to build homes for the homeless, Bell Atlantic Pioneers
offer their personal time for the betterment of their communities.
Technology Centers: The National Urban League, enabled by Bell Atlantic,
.
ished five community technology centers in Binghamton and White Plains, N.Y.;
Baltimore, Md.; Boston, Mass.; and Newark,. N.J. At these centers, people have access
to hardware and software they need to plug into cyberspace, thereby crossing the
digital divide that separates so many communities from the world of technology. Not
only do these centers provide underserved communities with a direct on-ramp to the
information superhighway, they also provide, in some cases, a safe haven for children
in inner-city communities where they can study, learn and explore in safe, nurturing
J
'.
environments.
Hispanic Federation Web Site: The New York-based Hispanic Federation, enabled
by Bell Atlantic, to develop an interactive Web site designed to provide its nonprofit
network of more than 60 member agencies with a host of powerful online tools. The
Hispanic Federation Web site, a database-driven, dynamic information gathering
system, offering more interactivity than conventional Web sites, was made possible
through a major Bell Atlantic Foundation grant, along with in-kind contributions' from
Bell Atlantic and IBM.
20f4
2/13/200010:09 PM
�http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/initiatives.adp
Digit.\lIQi,vidf; Network
PowerUP: PowerUP is compris!'ld of more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, major
corporations and federal agencies that have joined together to launch a major new
multimillion dollar initiative to help ensure that America's underserved young people
acquire the 'skills, experiences and resources they need to succeed in the digital age.
Gateway and the Waitt Family Foundation will provide 50,000 Gateway computers.
'J::.J.u.u.!,!<",!L!,!,!.!~~~
In partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft
will donate an estimated $200 million in software to create access to technology at
public libraries that serve low-income communities ..
Boys &. Girls Clubs: Microsoft has teamed with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to
establish technology centers at 15 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide, and to develop a
model for other clubs to use in establishing their own technology centers. In the
program's first year, Microsoft donated $1.1 million in cash and $540,000 in software.
Connected Learning Community grants: CLC grants enhance learning and
communications in disadvantaged communities by expanding access to information
technology. More than 95 community-based nonprofit groups across the United States
have received grants totaling $1.25 million in cash and $2.4 million in software during
the past three years.
Working Connections: This 5-year, $30 million grant program supports the
development and enhancement of information technology. training for underserved
populations through the nation's community college system.
Higher education for minorities: To ensure excellent technology infrastructure,
teacher preparedness, training and access for minority college students, Microsoft has
long supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving
Institutions and tribal colleges.
programs: Microsoft has donated more than $20 million in software to increase
technology access for low-income students participating in the federally funded TRIO
programs at 49 colleges and universities across the United States, benefiting more
than 70,000 students.
Microsoft Technology Leadership Grants: Technology Leadership Grants provide
major software donations to large, national nonprofit organizations to expand their use
of information technology to support their mission. In the three years of this program,
Microsoft has donated over $18 million in software to 20 organizations.
Community Partnership Agreement: The Community Partnership Agreement is a
nonprofit collaboration between SBC subsidiary Pacific Bell and nine California
community coalitions f) representing 134 Latino, Asian American, African American,
civil rights, and disability organizations f) that is dedicated to closing the digital divide
by bringing communications technologies to traditionally disadvantaged communities.
SBC is providing a $50 million monetary contribution to the fund, which is distributing
$5 million per year over a ten year period.
Major National Urban League Grant: In November, 1999, SBC announced a $1
million grant to the National Urban League to support the League's technology
programs. The grants will help fund the Urban League's efforts to close the digital
divide by helping them create and maintain community technology centers that bring
technology to underserved communities. Community Technology Centers were.
heralded in the Falling Through the Net reports as key access pOints for low-income
communities.
National Urban League Midwest Technology Centers: SBC subsidiary Ameritech
has also given $350,000 to the Urban League to fund community technology centers in
Aurora, IlL, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee.
"links to Learning f) Closing the Digital Divide" Initiative: Just recently in
Connecticut, SBC subsidiary SNET awarded $500,000 to institutions of higher
education under a grant program designed specifically to close the digital divide. Seven
colleges and universities have received grants and are administering programs such
as: hands-on technology training for the visually impaired, women in transition, senior
citizens and young adults from difficult family situations at Housatonic Community
Technical College; a basic computer literacy training program for the..underserved
30f4
2/13/2000 10:09 PM
�DigitafDlvlde Network
http://www,digitaldividenetwork.org/initiatives.adp
population of eastern Connecticut at Eastern Connecticut State University; and an
"Introduction to Computers" curriculum for women in transition at Gateway
Community Technical College.
'\
40f4
2/13/2000 J 0:09 PM
�..
.
Bethany Little
11/08/9902:54:44 PM
Record Type:
To:
Record
Kendra L. Brooks/OPD/EOP@EOP,John B: Buxton/OPD/EOP@EOP
cc:
Subject: RE: Digital Divide Initiative Launched
Something to read on the metro ...
---------------------- Forwarded by Bethany Little/OPD/EOP on 11/08/9902:54 PM --------------------------
nancy.hoit@npr.gov
11/08/9901 :51 :37 PM
Record Type:
To:
Record
·Pamela.Johnson@npr.gov, Russ.Kile@npr.gov, beverly.godwin@npr.gov, Lynn.Kahn@npr.gov
cc:
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
Supject: RE: Digital Divide Initiative Launched
Thanks Lynn ... this' looks fantastic. We've worked with many of the
partners.
From: Lynn Kahn
Sent: Monday, November 08,199910:50 AM
To: Pamela Johnson; Russ Kile; Beverly Godwin; Nancy Hoit
Subject: Digital Divide Initiative Launched
Major 'Digital Divide' Initiative Launched
Coalition of Business, Nonprofits and Government Partner to
Reach Underserved Youth 'in Thousands of Communities and Schools
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8,1999-- A Breakthrough
in Technology Access and Education -- New
Organization Created to Advance Goals of America's Promise
.
AOL and Gateway CEOs Commit Internet Accounts, Computers and
Millions in Grants
More than a dozen nonprofit organizations, major
corporations and federal agencies today launched a major new multimillion
dollar initiative to help ensure that America's underserved young people
acquire the skills, experiences and resources they need to succeed in the
digital age.
The new initiative, called PowerUP(TM), is a unique
�partnership to give underserved children access to technology and guidance
on how to use it. Based in schools and community centers around the country,
PowerUP not only will provide young people with access to the wide range of
content and information on the Internet; it will also help them develop
additional skills they need to succeed in the 21st century.
PowerUP will be able to scale quickly and reach thousands of
young people because it will leverage partnerships with numerous public and
private organizations, and build on thousands of exiting community centers,
schools and other locations nationwide. PowerUP partners will provide
technology, funding, trained personnel, in-kind support and other resources
to help close the divide between young people who have access to
computer-based information or technology-related skills and those who don't.
AOL Chairman and CEO Steve Case, who is chairing PowerUP,
said: "There's no single solution to bridging the digital divide -- it's
going to take all of us working together to make a difference. In a few
short years, the Internet has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives
-- and is fast transforming our society. The real question we face now is
how we can make sure that everyone benefits from these changes. We must take
steps now so that in the Internet Century, no children are left behind."
Case added, "PowerUP has drawn inspiration from America's
Promise to deliver positive youth development opportunities to the nation's
young people. Its goal is not only to provide young people with access to
computers and the Internet, but also to leverage technology's power and the
potential of the online medium to help young people develop character and
competence."
Gateway Chairman and CEO Ted Waitt, a founding member of the
board of PowerUP, said, "'The gap between the Internet haves and have nots
is widening along racial, economic and geographic lines, and we absolutely,
positively cannot afford another divide in this country. We can pull
together. Nothing is more important in our lives and in the future of our
communities than ensuring all of our children have access to the tools and
information they need to get ahead, and stay ahead."
Cre~ted as a nonprofit organization, Powe~UP is guided by a
board of directors that in addition to Case and Waitt includes: Erskine
Bowles, partner at Forstmann Little and former White House chief of staff;
Jean Case, President of the Case Foundation; Carly Fiorina, President and
CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company; Jack Kemp, Co-Director of Empower America;
David Mercer, National Executive Director of YMCA; Sam Nunn, Partner at King
and Spalding and former U.S. Senator; Leon Panetta, Director of the Panetta
Institute and former Director of OMB and White House chief of staff; Retired
Army General' Colin L. Powell, Chairman of America's Promise; Franklin
Raines, Chairman and CEO of Fannie Mae; and Roger Staubach, Chairman and
CEO, The Staubach Company.
A Compelling National Need
General Colin L. Powell (Ret.), Chairman of America's
Promise, said, "'PowerUP is a breakthrough initiative that our nation
urgently needs. As I've traveled throughout the country, it has become clear
to me that our future success as a nation will depend on how prepared our
young people are for the challenges of the 21st century. ,PowerUP will bring
to the nation's underserved youth the skills and experiences they need to
build a successful future."
Harris Wofford, CEO of the Corporation for National Service,
said, "AmeriCorps is proud to add people power to PowerUP. We know from
�,experience that just putting computer hardware and an Internet connection in
tlie schools is not enough. To unleash the full potential of young people-
and of the computer -- kids ne,ed to know more than just how to surf the net.
They need to learn how to use computers to succeed in a digital world.
AmeriCorps members will give students access to advanced technology and
compelling programming, in a safe environment with a caring adult. Together,
that's what all of us in PowerUP will do,"
A Powerful Program Offering'
PowerUP brings together several critical and innovative
program elements to create a powerful offering for community centers,
schools and other location,S nationwide. Key elements include:
*
Computers and Internet Access - Through 'major grants from the Waitt
Family Foundation and the AOL Foundation, PowerUP will provide 50,000
computers and 100,000 AOL accounts for free Internet access to sites
throughout the country.
*
Innovative, Life-enriching Interactive Programming - A unique
"PowerUP Online" guide aggregates information and organizes activities and'
Tesources according to the "five promises" identified by America's Promise
as essential for children to become successful adults including: tools on
how to find a mentor; fun and productive activities to do after school;
healthy lifestyle information; exploration of career opportunities and how
to acquire the skills needed to take advantage of them; community service;
and links with real-time community youth program opportunities provided by
particip;:lting local youth serving organizations. PowerUP Online, developed
by the AOL Foundation, also includes a scholastic/academic component
addressing educational achievement.
*
An Army of Trained Workers - PowerUP will provide the people power
needed to effectively train young people in attaining digital literacy
skills while offering them an ongoing relationship with a caring adult in a
safe environment. Initially more than 400 specially trained, full-time
AmeriCorps*VISTA members and other staff will provide a sustained and
trained presence at PowerUP-supported centers where needed. One of the
shortcomings in technology education efforts to date has been lack of
dedicated, capable adult staffto work with young people in centers on a
regular basis.
*
Partnering with Key Groups to Scale Quickly and on a Large Scale
PowerUP's goal is to scale quickly to reach a national level. It will do
this in two ways: by engaging key partner groups at the national and local.
levels, and by providing flexible program options for. existing centers.
*
youth-serving organizations - PowerUp will partner with local YMCAs,
Boys & Girls Clubs, Save the Children's "Web of Support" centers, National
Urban League, and other organizations with roots in thousands of communities
across the country to connect young people with additional learning and
positive youth development activities such as after-school sports, arts and
crafts, or other Classes and technology services.
*
Federal agencies - In keeping with a PowerUP goal of enhancing
scholastic achievement and digital literacy, PowerUP will partner with the
U.S. Department of Education's Computer Technology Centers and 21 st Century
Community Learning Centers to supplement and complement educational goals of
children both during and aft'er school hours.
*
Corporations - Companies that have established their own sites or
technology programs may choose to add PowerUP program elements, and/or
supply additional financing ,or in-kind support either at the national or
local level.
�*
Private individuals and foundations - Financial and in-kind support.
*
Millions of Dollars in Local Community Grants - PowerUP will provide
an initial total of $5 million in direct grants to community- and·
school-based centers who wish to participate in the PowerUP program. Grants
may be used for any activities or resource needs that are consistent with
PowerUP's program goals.
*
Links with Schools - PowerUP works to enhance scholastic achievement
and national digital literacy goals by forming partnerships with local
schools and educators. A section of the PowerUP Online guide features a
scholastic approach to educational attainment linked to academic curricula,
and AmeriCorps*VISTA members are responsible for connecting the PowerUP
program with local schools to supplement and complement educational goals of
young people both at school and after school.
*
Healthy Snacks - Through its partnership with PowerBar Inc., PowerUP
. will provide PowerUP-supported sites with healthy snacks, including
PowerBars, PowerBar Harvest bars, and PowerBar Essentials bars.
Steve Case said, "We recognize that there are many projects
underway in communities across the nation that seek to bridge the digital
divjde, but they are fragmented and lack the scale necessary to attract
significant resources. PowerUP will help knit these initiatives into a
national tapestry and jump-start a crusade that can change the lives of
millions of kids, bringing together an unprecedented combination of people,
skills and resources.
"PowerUP offers us the opportunity to make dramatic
progress in establishing consistent, quality-oriented methods and resources
to ensure that technology centers and programs across the country share a
common standard of excellence in driving positive youth development," Case
said. "Just as the nation made a successful commitment to ensuring that
every child has access tO'public education starting at the age of five, we
must now commit ourselves to ensuring that in the 21 st century every child
in America has access to technology so that no one falls behind. This
mission is what PowerUP is all about." ,
Partnership Brings Funds, People, Skills and Resources
The PowerUP partnership brings a range of support services
and resources to community centers, schools and other youth service
locations around the country:
*
National Benefactors - National benefactor.s of PowerUP include the·
Case Foundation, the Waitt Family Foundation, AOL Inc.lAOL Foundation; ,and
The Corporation for National Service (which houses AmeriCorps*VISTA), and
. The YMCA of the USA. These organizations will bring money, computers,
access, interactive programming. trained staff and other community-based
services on a large scale to sites across the nation:'
*
The Case Foundation, established by Steve and Jean Case, will
provide an initial grant of $10 million to establish PowerUP. The grant
includes $5 million to cover all staff and administrative costs of the
program, enabling partnership contributions to go directly to supporting or
establishing in-site programs for youth at centers across the country.
Another $5 million will provide the local community grants to benefit up to
5,000 local community centers and school-based sites nationwide.
*
The Waitt Family Foundation, established by Ted and Joan Waitt and
their family, will supply computer hardware to PowerUP by providing 50,000
Gateway computers and Internet appliances over the next three years.
*
AOL Inc.rrhe AOL Foundation has donated its resources and staff to
�\
.';
~)
I
develop PowerUP Online, a first-of-its kind interactive programming guide
built around the "five promises" that America's Promise has identified as
essential for children to become successful adults, PowerUP Online
aggregates valuable content and organizes activities and resources in an
easy-to-use format for use in grades K-12. In addition, 100,000 AOL accounts
are being provided for centers that need them.
*
The Corporation for National Service (AmeriCorps*VISTA) is bringing
people power to PowerUP. Initially more than 400 AmeriCorps*VISTA members
and others in AmeriCorps will be trained and deployed to provide dedicated,
full-time mentoring and other assistance tc) schools, YMCAs, Boys & Girls
Clubs, National Urban League centers, Save the Children "Web of Support"
centers, the U.S. Department of Education's Computer Technology Centers and
21st Century Community Learning Centers. and other community technology
centers across the country.
*
The YMCA of the USA will provide service-learning and positive youth
development opportunities for young people at PowerUP-supported sites,
including providing a sustained presence of caring, supportive adults who
regularly interact with parents and teachers in the community.
*
Founding National Partners - Founding national partners who will
support the program through their eXisting networks of community-based
centers, training programs, in-kind contributions and other activities
. include Sun Microsystems, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Save the Children,
National Urban League, Communities in Schools, FamilyEducation Network,
PowerBar Inc., and the U.S. Department of Education's Computer Technology
Centers and 21 st Century Community Learning Centers.'
.
*
Founding Local Sponsors - Founding local sponsors who have
established pilot sites for PowerUP in their communities include Microsoft,
Sun Microsystems, the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and the Case
Foundation. The sites are located in San Jose, Ca; Seattle, WA; Alexandria,
VA; and Washington, DC. The sites are additionally supported by the YMCAs of
Santa Clara Valley, Greater Seattle, and Metropolitan Washington, which
provide service-learning and positive youth development opportunities.
PowerUP is a commitment to America's Promise. America's
Promise -- The Alliance for Youth led by General Colin Powell, is dedicated
to mobilizing individuals, groups and organizations from every part of
American life, to build and strengthen the character and competence of our
youth.
Contact:
Lisa Ellen
(212) 453-2444
OR
Susan Porter
(202) 828-8866
Message Copied To:
�.-'I
Office of Educational Technology
Policy, Programs and Leadership
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educa
tional Technology (OET) coordinates Department-wide
educational technology programs; develops national
educational technology policy; and implements this
policy through ED's programs. Working closely with
the offices of Elementary and Secondary Education
(OESE), Educational Research and Improvement
(OERI), Postsecondary Education (OPE), Vocational
and Adult Education (OVAE), and Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), OET helps to
ensure that ED's programs are also coordinated with
efforts across the federal government. A primary focus
of OET's work is evaluating the effectiveness of
educational technology. OET's leadership priorities
currently include: promoting equal access to technology,
ensuring Internet safety, encouraging new strategies for
software development, and planning the nation's long
term policy for educational technology.
Every child in America deserves the chance
to participate in the information revolution.
President Clinton
I
~----------------~.~-----
National Educational Technology Goals
1. All teachers and students will have modem
computers in their classrooms;
2. Every classroom will be connected to the
information superhighway; .
3. All teachers in the nation will have the
training and support they need to help all
students learn through computers and the
information superhighway; and
4. Effective and engaging software and online
resources will be an integral part of every
school curriculum.
Educational Technology publications are available at
http://w·ww.ed.go,v/Technology/ or by calling
1-S77-4ED-PUBS or 1-S00-USA-LEARN.
I
I
. Our most requested piIblications include:
Getting America's Students Ready for the 21st Century:
Meeting the Technology Literacy Challenge
Parents Guide to the 1nternet
An Educator'sGuide to Evaluating the Use ofTechnology
in Schools and Classrooms
U.s. Department of Education
Office of Educational Technology
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Suite 6W301
Washington, DC 20202
Phone: (202) 401-1444
Fax: (202) 401-3941
Web site: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/
t
~l'
I'
I
j
~..
il
ij
rt
Distance Education in Higher Education 1nstitutions
1
~
Ii
11
I
,
I
~
!
~
Educational
Technology
Prograllls
at the
~ u.s. Department of Education
i
~
I
�Educational Technology Programs a the
Capacity Building
u.s. Department of Education
Other Federal
.
..L
Professional Development
Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology: This program helps ensure that tomorrow's teachers are
prepared to integrate technology effectively into the curriculum and to use the new teaching and learning styles
enabled by technology. Contact OPE at 202-260-1365 or go towww.ed.gov/teachtechl.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: An
Internet tool for teaching and learning, FREE was
developed by more than thirty federal agencies. It makes
hundreds of federally supported education resources
Innovation
Distance Learning
Star Schools: This program supports projects that utilize di~;tance learning technology to provide instructional
programs to students and professional development to teachers in underserved populations. Contact OERIat
202-219-2186 or go to http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/StarSchools/index.html.
Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships: This program supports partnerships of colleges, universities, businesses,
community organizations, or other entities that deliver quality .postsecondary distance education.
Contact OPE at 202-708-5750 or go to http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPElFIPSEllearnany.htmL
Community Networks
Community Technology Centers: This program expands access to technology centers in low-income communities.
Contact OVAE at 202-205-8270 or go to http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/CTC/.
Technical Assisqmce'
Regional Technology in Education Consortia, These six centers provide states, school districts, adult literacy
programs, and other education institutions with professionai, development, technical assistance and information
about the use of advanced technologies to improve teaching and learning. Contact OERI at 202-219-8070 or go to
http://rtec.org/.
I
~
I
~
I
I
I.
ij
~
Department of Commerce: The DOC Telecommunica
tions and Information Infrastructure Application Program
(TIlAP) supports planning and construction of telecommu
nications. Contact TIIAP at 202-482-2048 or go to
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/otiahome.html.
National Science Foundation: NSF makes grants and
awards in all areas of science, mathematics, and
engineering education. Contact NSF at 703-306-1234
or go to http://www.nsf.g~wlhomelher..
Department of Energy: DOE's ten national laboratories
and thirty tethnology centers and research facilities
provide educational experiences for students, training and
curriculum materials for pre-service and in-service
. teachers, and literacy programs for the
public.
DOE also runs Computers for Learning, Which will place
hundreds of thousands of surplus government computers
in U.S. classrooms. Con~t Computers for Learning at
888-362-7870 or go to hnp:l!www.computersJed.gov.
-<
National Aeronautics and Space Administration:
NASA provides online edticatiOllal programs ~d services~
Visit http://www.education.nasa.gov.
.
Research
Interagency Education Research Initiative: This is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education, National
Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health to fOOlS expertise in research, evaluation, and educational
technology on achieving two important educational goals: Ensuring that all children have acquired the foundations
of mathematics and reading by the end of grade three, and ensuring that all mathematics, science, and reading
teachers have high-level content in these areas. Contact OERI at 202-219-1935 or go to http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/eri-ed-nsfl.
.
,
Federal Communications Commission: The FCC
oversees the E~Rate (Education Rate), which provides
affordable access to advanced telecommunications
services for all schools and libraries in the United States.
Contact the Schools and Libraries Division at
202-776-0200 or go to http://www.sLuniversalservice.org/.
Technology Literacy Challenge Fund: This program provides funding to help states and school districts develop
and implement plans to meet the four national educational technology goals. Contact OESE at 202-401-0039 or go
to http://www.ed.govffechnologyffLCF/.
Technology Innova/i.on Challenge Grants: This program promotes innovative uses of educational technology by
awarding grants to partnerships of school districts, universities, businesses, libraries. software designers, and others.
Contact OERI at 202-208-3882 or go to http://www.ed.govffechnology/challenge/.
u
Resourc~s
"
u.s. DepartmentofAgrlculture: USDA's Distance
Learning aridTelemedicineGrants suppOrt telemediciq.e
services and distance learning serViCes in rural areas.
Contact the Rural Utilities Service at 202-720-4581 or
go to http://www,usda.gov/rus/dltl1703.pdf.
<
�o
o
Perspectives
o
o
o
o
o
Introduction
o
o
Ifequality ofeducational opportunity can be established, democracy will
o
be real and justified. For this is the vital truth beneath its catchwords:
that though men cannot be equal, their access to educational opportunity
can be made more nearly equal (Durant, 1968, p. 79).
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Lighting a fire in the student's heart, role modeling and nurturing may
contribute more to learning than the neatest hyper-linked courseware
(Dertouzos, 1998, p. 20).
o
o
o
CI
o
burgeoning computer market
and the advent of the Internet
and World Wide Web have
sparked a rapid increase in the electronic
delivery of higher education. Technology
based distance education has been
around a long time, but its growth has
surged in the 1990s, resulting in an in
dustry that is growing by hundreds, if
not thousands, of online courses each
month. Training through the Internet
is becoming big business worldwide.
The "virtual university" is edging its
way on to the wide screen of educators,
policy-makers, and students. The vision
of students collecting. certificates or de
grees without ever setting foot in a
classroom has captured the imagination
of education entrepreneurs and Wall
Street investors.
A
Management pundit Peter Drucker has
predicted that the residential university
campus as we ~ow it will be defunct
within 30 years. A better bet is that tra
ditional higher education will change,
not disappear. The question is: How will
it change? The fact is, computer and re
lated technologies are evolving so
quickly-and new providers and brokers
of higher education proliferating so rap
idly-no one knows.
o
o ..
o
o
o
CI
o
o
o
o·
o
o
o
o
o
o
•
o
o
o
A healthy skepticism is in order when
. evaluating claims for the transforming
power of virtual instruction. A good deal
of hype, from both commercial and
nonprofit sponsors; accompanies its mar
keting. Also, history suggests that the
impact of cutting-edge technology con
sistently falls short of its proponents'
expectations. Early in this century, Tho
mas Edison speculated that motion
pictures would replace textbooks as the
principal medium of instruction. Fifty
years ago many heralded instructional
television as the salvation of classroom
teaching.
CI
·0
o
CI
CI
o
o
o
o
o
CI
o
o
o
o
·0
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o .
CI
o
o
o
Policy Analysis
7
-'
..
o
o
�o
o
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
•
III
•
o
o
•
o
•
o
•
•
o
It
o
III
o
•
o
..
o
o
(I
o
It
•
"
"
"
(I
"
"
(I
o
"
"
"
•
•
This said, however, today's expanding,
interactive computer networks possess a
power, promise, and allure that institu
tions, governments, corporations, the
no'nprofit sector, and students are re
sponding to in unprecedented ways. This
paper reviews recent developments in in
formation technology and distance
learning, and how-along with eco
nomic forces-they are fueling a global
market for higher education.
For the most part we raise questions.
The computer-based technologie; that
are driving the change are so new that
there is very little experience, much less
systematic data, on which to assess the
future.
We write primarily from a U.S. per-.
spective, but the trends and, issues are
increasingly global. We focus especially
on the question of access. Will the new
technologies expand opportunities for
those who have been traditionally
underrepresented in higher education?
Or are these technologies liable to
deepen the divide between the rich and
poor, the educational haves and have
nots in today's society?
(I
It
"
•
•
o
It
"
(I
o
It
o
•
o
•
•
o
III
•
e
III
It
•
•
•
III
(I
III
It
o
•
•
•
o
III
"
Ci)
e
o
"
o
8
The College Board
�o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Perspectives
Build It and Th
Will Come
o
Twenty years ago, only 50,000 com
unimagined only a few years ago. Almost
puters existed on the planet. Today,
anything-text, data, images, video, au-
that many units are sold every 10 hours
. dio-can be delivered electronic~lly,
around the world. Internet expansion has
almost anywhere in the world, almost any
been even more dramatic. In 1985, about
time ana in real time, over the Internet.
o
o
o
300,000 e-mail users were registered
Imaging and Web-based technologies are
.0
u.s. alone
also constantly enhancing the potential
o
accounted for over 80 million users
for two-way communications between
Oones, 1997).
and among teachers and students in re
o
mote locations.
o
o
worldwide. Ten years later, the
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
"
"
The development of this technological
capacity has resulted from a push-pull
o
o
o
o
o
relationship between providers and the
o
o
public: technological advances have cre
o
ated awareness and appetite among
users, while ~sage has pushed provid
ers to further develop the technologies.
o
o
o
o
o
o
Dolence and Norris suggest a Darwin
co
o
ian element in this societal shift:
o
o
co
o
The technological evolution from an in
dustrial society to one dependent on
information and knowledge has forever
altered how we learn and do things. Pro
viders of education and training are
harnessing communications technology
to complement and sometimes supplant
the traditional classroom. Again, distance
education is not new. Today's virtual in
struction has its roots in correspondence
. schools. But it has the potential to tran
scend barriers of time. and space in ways
o
Society is undergoing a fondamental
o
o
transformation from the Industrial Age
o
o
to the Information,age... Allpeople, or
co
o
ganizations, societies and nations are
o
affected, although not at the same pace
o
o
or to the same degree. Those who re
o
o
align their practices most effectively to
o
o
the Information Age standards will reap
"
o
substantial benefits. Those who do not
co
o
will be replaced or diminished by more
o
o
nimble competitors. (Dolence 6- Norris,
o
o
1995,p.2).
o
co
o
o
o
Policy Analysis
9
o
o
�ill
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
•
ill
•
•
•
ill
ill
ill
From the student perspective, we must
ill
•
ill
ill
•
•
realize that to day's high school graduates
are already children of the "information
o
age," and that tomorrow's students will
be even more conditioned by electronic
ill
media. Today's university students in
ill
•
ill
•
•
ill
creasingly expect to learn with computers
and the latest information technology,
not least because an increasingly competitive labor market demands no less. As
Kenneth Green puts it, institutions en
gage In "a kind of educational
malpractice" if they fail to provide stu
dents with technology training as part of
their educational experience (Green,
1997b, p. 9).
o
•
•
ill
OIl
•
ill
OIl
•
ill
ill
OIl
•
ill
ill
•
ill
ill
ill
•
•
ill
OIl
•
•
•
ill
ill
o
•
•
•
•
•
ill
ill
ill
•
•
ill
ill
II>
ill
o
OIl
ill
ill
OIl
OIl
ill
OIl
OIl
ill
ill
OIl
ill
ill
o
10
The College Board
\
�Perspectives
Trainin Needs and Trainin Providers
Technological opportunity has con- . study with work and family responsi
verged with economic imperative to
bilities, attending intermittently, and
expand the overall demand for higher
attending more than one institution
education and alter its delivery in time
'before graduating. For growing num
bers of students, the postsecondary
and space. Knowledge-based economies
require increasing levels of education
experience is no longer a straight shot.
and training. In the U.S., estimates of
the proportion of future jobs requiring
If students increasingly defy categori
zation, so do institutions. A range of
postsecondary training range from 70
unconventional providers has entered the
to 90 percent. Skill and credential re
quirements in the job market show no
postsecondary marketplace, offering in
struction and credentials in new settings,
signs of leveling off.
on flexible schedules-and increasingly
Economic incentives and pressures are
by way of the new distance-learning me
pushing U.S. higher education enroll
dia. A quick search of the Internet reveals
ments to record levels. Rates of
scores of Web sites that offer some form
participation by 18- to 24-year-olds have . of distance education, or information
about such learning opportunities. Com
never been higher, and the market for
training and retraining 'of working adults
petition is intense, and lines blur between
is booming. Some estimates suggest that
public and private, for-profit and
not-for-profit, and a variety of entrepre
almost half of the adult U.S. population
neurial combinati~ns in between. (See
engages in some type of part-time edu
cation or training, and part-time' Appendices A and B at the end of this
enrollments are growing three times
monograph for a partial listing of these
faster than full~time enrollments.
Web sites),
•
I)
I)
•
It
e
.,
G
4)
It
II>
I)
o
"
•
o
II>
"
o
I)
It
o
I)
I)
•
o
o
I)
•
II
I)
o
o
o
e
"
II
I)
"
(II
I)
It
"
I)
I)
I)
G
I)
It
G
In fact, patterns of enrollment in U.S.
postsecondary education are increasingly
complex. The terms "traditional" and
"nontraditional" are becoming less use
ful in describing today's students. Many
students are. stretching out their educa
tion, attending part-time, balancing
Many corporations have been training
their employees for decades; they have
essentially brought postsecondary edu
cation in house, investing in their own
human capital. Some corporate univer
sities have gone further, taking their
educational services to the broader pub-
o
e
o
(I
It
I)
G
•
I)
It
o
o
I)
o
II>
I)
It
o
Policy Analysis
11
o
I)
�CII
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
•
Q
CII
•
CII
e
Q
CII
e
•
•
e
Q
CII
e
•
•
•
..
Q
CIl
•
•
•
•
Q
•
II)
•
CII
•
II)
o
•
I)
lie. Motorola, for example, estimates
that over 20 percent of its 100,000 stu
dents come from outside company ranks.
There is also a new breed of freestand
ing corporate enterprise that is tapping
into a growing market for career re
training and advanced degrees. The
University of Phoenix, for example, is
far-flung, for-profit, and fully accred
ited. In just 20 years, it has become the
largest private university in the U.S.,
delivering business and other applied
degree programs to 56,000 students at
70-plus sites nationwide.
tions offered degrees exclusively through
distance education. Penn State (World
Campus), the University of Minnesota
(Virtual U Minnesota), UCLA (Home
Education Network), Lansing Commu
nity College, and Florida's Gulf Coast
University are taking a lead in the elec
tronic market .
o
o
I)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
CII
11>
o
•
"
III
•
•
III
III
•
U.S. industry is estimated to have spent
$60 billion on for~al training in 1997.
Most training in the corporate sector re
mains site-based and is delivered the
old-fashioned way, by human instr.uctors.
But online and other modes of distance
education using information technology
are on the rise (Lakewood Publications,
1997). Workplace-bound employees of
the future may never have to leave their
desks, much less enter a classroom, to
receive training.
I)
Q
CIl
•
I)
o
..•••
•
•
,CII
..
"
..
o
Meanwhile, more and more traditional
institutions of higher education are ex
perimenting with virtual instruction. A
; U.S. Department of Education survey
. found that one-third of accredited insti
tutions offered distance education courses
in 1995, and a quarter of these institu
Higher education institutions are also
forming consortia and linking with the
private sector to develop, catalog, and
disseminate courses and degree pro
grams. Nonprofit and. for-profit
companies provide software, hardware,
and consulting services to support dis
tance education. Denver-based Real
Education, Inc., for example, helps in
stitutions that lack the technical capacity
to develop state-of-the-art courseware
online. On its Web site, Real Education
provides an index of course offerings, or
ganized by subject, semester offered,
and school from which'the instruction
originates. From the World Lecture Hall,
a Web site organized by the University
of Texas, students can download multi-
•
"
CII
•
12
The College Board
�..
II
Perspectives
o
II
o
e
o
o
media course materials from scores of
munities to build or expand existing
universities. The Globewide Network
brick-and-mortar campuses. The state
e
o
.
Academy and The Internet University also
of California, however, opted out of
o
o
coordinate thousands of online courses.
WGU because state leaders decided
o
they had too much invested in
III
111
III
III
In late 1998, Western Governors Uni
California's 301 colleges and universi
versity (WGU) began operation as the
ties to share with other states. Instead,
..
nation's first exclusively virtual university.
California has developed its own Cali
WGU was formed by the governors of
fornia Virtual University, which
"
e
o
17 states (plus Guam), along with a
recently more than doubled its 700
number of business partners including
courses to 1,600:
Microsoft, Sun Systems, IBM, and
111
..
"
e
..
..
o
AT&T. It has no plans to hire faculty,
If some U.S. institutions have ideas of
but will procure its online academic ma
going transnational with their distance
terials from businesses and institutions of
course offerings, so do many others
higher education in the U.S. or other
around the world. Our search of the
countries. Students anywhere in the
Internet (see Appendix B) turned up vir
world can enroll. WGU's mission is to
tual-learning Web sites from Argentina,
"expand educational opportunities for
Australia, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Costa
learners everywhere" and provide access
Rica, Ghana, Israel, the Netherlands,
e
o
e
e
..
o
e
..
o
111
II>
II
o
e
II>
.e
New Zealand, ~outh Mrica, Spain, Sri
III
who might not otherwise have access to
Lanka, and the United Kingdom, among
higher education and to those needing
other countries. The UK.'s Open Uni
e
o
workplace training" (Blumenstyk, 1998,
versity has been a world leader in
p. A21).
distance education for a quarter century.
to a "dispersed population of students
Now it is entering the U.S. market in
States participating in WGU are look
partnership with WGU, Florida State
ing for economies of scale in providing . University, and campuses of California
•
o
III
o
o
I)
e
III
o
..
III
State University, and has established an
e
hope WGU will enable them to fend .
Open University of the United States
.,
off political pressl!res from some com-
(Marchese, 1998).
higher education services. Some states
II>
CI
..
e
111
•
e
.,
o
"
.,
•
o
..
.
II
Policy Analysis
13
e
111
�•
o
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
•
•
•
•
•
.
Who Will Re ulate a Global Market?
.
•
o
Even a cursory tour of World Wide
Issues of accreditation and credentialing are
&
Web distance-learning sites is impres
problematic enough iri the realm of tradi
tional higher education. But the wide
..
•
•
..
•
o
•
o
•
•
..
•
e
•
..
.•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
o
Q
cD
•
Q
cD
•
•
•
•
•
o
•
!II
•
o
sive. But there are many unanswered
questions about higher education's re
cent online surge. Not least is how to
openness of the new technology invites edu
cators; entrepreneurs, and stUdents alike to
provide quality assurance.
cross national and other borders, adding a
The new information technology
whole new dimension of complexity. Pro- ,
viders-traditional or nontraditional-have
knows no boundaries and opens a po
few regulatory barriers
tential world of possibilities for
students. Pronouncements on behalf of
The Council for Higher Education
virtual instruction emphasize that it is
Accreditation (CHEA), a nongovernmental
learner-centered. It takes the classroom
voluntary association concerned with
•
•
•
•
•
entry.
to the student rather than the other
standards of institutional quality in U.S.
way around. Students have more con
higher education, is currently looking into
trol over where, how, and when they
these issues of "gatekeeping" in the new
learn. But how will students distin
world of distance education. Another
guish among providers of virtual
voluntary organization, the Washington,
training? How will they assess the rela
D.C.-based
tive quality and utility of educational
Transnational Education (GATE), has also
opportunities offered in cyberspace?
been founded to grapple with these issues
Also, how will employers evaluate skills
and credentials acquired in the virtual
on an international level. Still, who
mode? (Barley, 1997).
remains an open question.
cD
o
to
Global
Alliance
for
ultimately will regulate a global market
!II
cD
til
0,
o
•
•
•
o
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
4)
.,
(II
14
The College Board
�o
Perspectives
I)
o
o
•
o
o
o
o
Will the New. Technologies Save or Add to
Educational Costs?
Part of the promise of virtual technology
is to deliver instruction at reduced cost.
But to do so it will have to break with
history. Most educational technology in
troduced over the past 50 years has
I)
may profit, and institutions of higher education may create new revenue streams.
Some institutions, even if they do not have
the electronic infrastructure and techni
cal expertise to start with, want to position
•
0
I)
0
•
0
I)
•
0
I)
supplemented and often enh<lflced-:-not
supplanted-traditional classroom in
struction, thus ~dding to its cost, not
reducing it. Cutting-edge information
technology tends to be expensive and
have a short half-life, straining education
budgets, not relieving them.
themselves in the potential market for distance education and have sought external
grants for courseware development. They
are likely to find, however, that online
courses are works in progress, requiring
ongoing outlays for maintenance, revamping, upgrading, and staff training
(Green, 1997a).
0
0
0
I)
•
0
I)
I)
0
o
I)
•
•
I)
I)
Nonetheless, the vision of packaging
courses with name instructors and mass
marketing them around the world
through the Internet is a powerful lure
to providers, especially those that already
have substantial investment in the nec
essary infrastructure. To the extent that
students respond and enroll online, there
will be money to be made. Companies
Whether online instruction will pro
duce savings for students is also unclear.
Some institutions are actually charging
more for online courses than for oncampus instruction. Students who
enroll online, however, may face lower
net costs because of savings in time and
travel expenses (Baer, 1998).
0
0
I)
•
0
0
I)
•
0
I)
0
0
0
0
0
o.
0
0
•
0
I)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
I)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Policy Analysis
15
•
0
�<&
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
•
..
•
..
<&
•
.
Who Wi II Benefit?
•
•
If
Are students in fact flocking to online
has a distinguished record of making edu
<&
educational opportunities? The U.S.
cation accessible for those who are home
•
•
Department of Education reports that
and work-bound, using a variety of dis
three quarters of a million U.S. students
tance learning technologies, rec 7 ntiy
including the Internet.
<&
•
o
•
•
o
•
•
•
o
enrolled in more than 15,000 distance
education courses in 1995 (U.S. De
partment of Education, 1997b). This
Internet-based technology can surely
estimate, however, includes all forms of
build on these earlier successes, but only
distance education, not just online learn
if providers take care to build quality
ing, and even such an inclusive estimate
does not amount to a significant propor
programs that include technical support
and individualized attention to students,
•
•
tion of postsecondary enrollments.
mentoring, and faculty-student ex
o
In truth, we have very little information
attached great importance to such inter
•
on how many students or employees are
actions, including face-to-face tutorials
•
•
•
o
actually making use of online course of
where possible. Sir John Daniel, vice
chancellor of the Open University,
warns:
•
•
o
lIl'
•
•
o
•
changes. The Open University has
If
<&
ferings, and we know less about their
..
characteristics. As. Barley (1997) sug
gests, without such information we have
CI
no way of knowing whether virtual tech
nology is reaching those who might not
o
<&
•
o
<&
•
•
•
•
•
"
..
•
"
•
o
•
"
o
•
"
•
•
•
•
•
•
iii
otherwise have access to higher educa
tion, or simply accommodating those
who already take advantage of other edu
cational opportunities .
Over the past couple of decades, there
have been wonderful examples of distance
education programs extending access to
isolated populations. Contact North in
Ontario, Canada, reaches remote villages
Much of the commercial hype and
hope about distance learning is based
on a very unidirectional conception of
instruction, where teaching is merely
presentation and learning is merely
absorption. The Open University's ex
perience with two million students over
25 years suggests that such an impov
erished notion of distance education
wiLL fail-or at least have massive
drop-out problems (AAHE BuLLetin,
1998, p. 11),
and towns in the northern portion of the
province. The British Open University
•
..
o
•
..
(I
16
The College Board
�II
Perspectives
o
II
,I)
41
II
•
A New Set of Barriers for the Traditional ~
Underre resented in Higher Education?
II
II
II
e
The Web shatters geographical barriers
to educational access, but it also may cre
ate new ones. Virtual universities will
only help those who have the necessary
equipment and experience ,to be com
fortable with the technologies.
$25,000 and $35,000, and one-sixth
with incomes below $15,000.
II
II
o
e
II
II
Online access is similarly stratified by in
come. And white households are rwice as
likely as black and Hispanic households
to have access to computers and online
services. Those with a B.A. degree or
higher are about four times as likely as
those with only a high school education
to have online service.
•
•
II
•
II
I)
•
•
II
II
•
II
e
II
o
II
II
While technology has widely penetrated
elementary and secondary schools, not all
students have equal access to computers
and the Internet at school. In fact, there
While computers may seem ubiquitous
in today's society, their distribution is
highly stratified by socioeconomic class.
Figures 1-3 illustrate, by income, racel
ethnicity, and educational attainment, the
wide disparities in access
to computers as well as
online services in the
U.S. as of 1997. Three
quarters of households
with Incomes over
$75,000 have a com
puter, compared to
one-third of households
with incomes between
is evidence that students with the great-
est need get the least access. According
to a 1997 study by the Educational Testing Service, the ratio of students to
80
.
70
60
•
50
40
30
II
•
'II
II
'"
II
'II
o
II
'II
<ill
o
II
III
"
•
o
•
•
Figure 1. Percentage 'of U.S. Households with a Computer and
Online Service, by Household Income, 1997.
•
.
II
'II
o
~
II
II
~~'i£%%%
•
III
III
II
<ill
20
•
o
•
o
10
I)
o-l-"'-.....
..,
Source: Felting ThtotJgh tho Nslll, National Telec;ommUflications & InfOrmation Adminislmtlon
II
•
•
.,
(NTIA). U,S, Depar1rnent 01 Commerce••My 2B. 199B.
II
Policy Analysis
17
I)
I)
�Q
.The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
G
Q
.
.
G
Q
CD
It
CD
•
It
Q
.•
Q
•
I)
It
•
•
..
•
•
o
Q
Q
•
•
It
Q
•
o
Q
•
.,
CD
o
•
CD
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
\11
11/
•
CD
Q
•
•
.
CD
•
•
.
•
•
•
..
•
•
•
..
\11
..
•
"
.,
Figure 2. Percentage of U.S. Households with a Computer and
Online Service, by Race/Ethnlclty, 1997.
A better indicator of pen
etration in the schools is
50
47
percentage of classrooms
•
Computer
40
connected to the Internet.
•
Online- Access
,Here the disparities re
30
mam significant. As
indicated in Table 1,
20
about 40 percent of class
10
rooms in schools with the
highest concentration of
o
White
alack
Hispanic
Asian and Other
poor students (measured
Sou",e: FsUlng Thtough 111/1 Neill, National Telecommunications & Information
Admlnls!ration (NTIA), U.S, Deporlrna"! 01 Commerce, July 2B, 199B,
by percentage of students
eligible for free or re
computers is highest in schools with the
duced-price lunch) have Internet access,
largest proportions of poor and minor
compared to more than 60 percent of
ity students, and the availability of
classrooms in schools with the lowest
Internet access goes down as the percent
concentration of poor students. There
age of such students increases (Coley,
are similarly wide gaps by race/ethnicity.
Cradler, & Engel, 1997).
Figure 4 shows the average number of
More recent data from the National Cen
students per computer with Internet ac
ter for Education Statistics indicate
cess in fall 1998. On average, there were
17 students per computer in schools with
progress in closing such gaps and meet
ing the Clinton administration's goal of Figure 3. Percentage of U.S. Households with Online
connecting every school to the Internet Service, by Educational Attainment, 1997.
by the year 2000. Table 1 shows that 89 '
40
percent of public schools had access to
the Internet in fall 1998, compared to
30
only 35 percent four years earlier. But
school access is not a good indicator of
20
student access. In fact, one study suggests
10
that half the schools that are linked to the
Internet are connected only at the li
O+-~---rbrary/media center or principal's office
Some
HS DiplOma
Some
BA or H;gher
High School
or GED
Postsecondary
Ed_Bon
(Quality Education Data, 1998).
Soures: Falling Through Iho Neill, Nationa! Tolecommunlea!ions &
Information Administration (NTIA), U,S, Deparlmant of Commerce, July 28.
1998,
\11
Q
•
•
I>
•
18
The College Board
�.,
Perspectives
e
<;
{$
o
I'
•
Figure 4. Ratio of Students per Instructional
Computer with Internet Access, by School Character
istics, Fall 1998.
the highest concentrations of poor stu
derlts, compared
to
10 in schools with
the lowest concentration of such stu
•
"
.,
.
'.
Percent minority entr)/lmtmI
dents. The same gap exists between
I'
I'
o
.,
&-20 percent
schools with the lowest and highest
0)
20·49 percent
concentrations of minority students.
•
e
12
50 portant or """.
.
.
.
17
0)
Not surprisingly, differentials in experience
0<
with technology show up when students
Students eligIble for froe Df rDducod-prlce IWlch
Less than 11 percent
•
o
11-30 percenl
enter postsecondary education. UCLA's
Higher Education Research Institute con
•
o
cludes from its most recent annual
e
.
0<
freshman survey: "Despite the overall high
•
31 »70 percent
o
o
levels of computer and Internet use, not
71 percent or more
all students enter college with Internet
o
savvy" (Higher Education Research Insti-
•
e
17
10
0'
15
20
Source: U,S. Department
Education (1999). "Internet Access In
Public Schools and Ctassrooms: 1994·98." Issue Bfi<lf (NCES 1999·
017). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics,
0<
II
,III
o
I'
.,
Table 1. Percentage of Public Schools and Instructional Rooms With Internet Access, by Selected School
Characteristics: Fall 1994-98.
{$
o
School characteristics
Total
Level ofschool'
Elementary
Secondary
Percentage of students eligible
for free or reduced-price lunch
Lessthan 11
11-30
31-70
71 or more
Percentage of minoriry
students enrolled
Less than 6
6-20
21-49
50 or more
1994
1995
1996
1997
e
Percentage o[ in~rrucrional
rooms with Inl~rn~t acce~'
Percentage of schools .
wirh Internet acces~
1998
1994
1995
1996
•
o
1997
1998
35
50
65
78
89
3
8
14
27
51
30
49
46
65
61
77
75
89
88
94
3
4
8
8
13
16
24
32
51
52
e
{$
•
<;
e
.,
o
e
,.,
62
59
47
31
78
72
58
53
88
83
78
63
87
94
91
80
9
10
7
3
18
16
14
7
62
53
52
39
36
32
27
14
•
.
I'
.,
11/
II)
I'
52
58
54
40
65
72
65
56
84
87
73
63
91
93
91
82
9
10
9
3
18
18
12
5
37
35
22
57
59
52
13
37
•
•
e
e
"
•
II
-lndtcate5 data nor av:ailabJe.
0)
I'
SOURCE: US. o.pu,mon, ofEduc,nion (I999). "1"'0<11« A= in Public School. and Classrooms: 1994-98." 1m" Bri<!(NCES 1999-017),
Washington. DC: Nuionai Center for Education St:uis!ia. "(nrerner Access in Public Schook" lfil« Brlef(NCES 98~031). Washington, DC: National
Center fm EuuQrion Sr.uistics.
,BlmJ on the tow numbtr o/iwrrurtiona/ f1JQmJ in rt:g'Ular public schools.
Data for combirud It/mots (II? not rrporud lIS II il!pllrtlU uwl ofschool kt:IJUit tMrt art' t()(! frw fampk obstrVlJliom for rtliablt mimoln,
Data for combinuJ schools 4rt' indll.dfd in tIM toUlIs.
e
•
e
o
.,
J
4)
'0
Policy Analysis
19
•,
.
�"
•
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
III
.o
CI
e
41)
•
•
•
o
•
e
.
41)
•
e
..
•
•
..
•
•
•
..
o
..
•
41)
..
41)
tute, 1999, p. 1). As illustrated in Figure
It is about effective use, teacher training,
5, the percentage of students using e~mail
varies widely by type of institution, with
and careful integration of technology into
the curriculum. The most advantaged citi
zens-and schools-are most able to
benefit from cutting-edge technologies.
the greatest use among students enrolling
in private universities and the lowest rates
among students at
public black colleges.
Such
disparities
could preclude sig
nificant numbers of
students from par
use computers on· a
regular basis are more
apt to use them rou
tinely in problem
solving and critical
thinking. They use
ticipating in the
virtual university.
III
III
"
•
41)
III
"
III
"
"
e
41)
&
..
•
•
..
"
"
.
e
Advantage magnifies
advantage. Those who
In the final analysis,
data probably cannot capture the full story
here. While education is the great equal
izer, technology appears to be a new
engine ·of inequality. Access to technology
is not only about hardware and software.
III
computers as past gen
erations used pen and
paper. Those with limited computer ex
perience will be handicapped in their
ability to access knowledge and avail
themselves of the ever increasing variety of
learning experiences.
Figure 5. Percentage of Freshmen Using E-mail During the LastYear, by Institution Type, 1998.
eo
o
70
o
o
eo
60
III
o
50
"
•
40
III
o
•
.
30
III
o
20
III
10
•
0
•
"
o
Privata
•
PubIlc
Univ....ltIes
PIJ~jc
Prlvat&
Pubtic
Private
PubliC
Four·Year
Two-Year
Two-Veer
Historically
HistorlCally
Colleges
Colleg..
College.
Bleck Cotleges
Bleck Colleg••
Source: Higher EducatIOn R....roIl I....mul. (1999). 'FreShman Embrace the Interne! .. en EducaliOnal Tool: T1ie American Freshmen:
NI1t/on8J Norms br FaD 1998 Loo Angeles, GA: UCLA.
o
o
Four..YeM
College.
"
o
"
..
..
Private
Utdv&rsilles
III
20
The College Board
�•
Perspectives
I/>
III
It,
It
•
o
Even when computers are available,
technological problems-equipment
malfunctioning, Internet congestion
and delay-can interfere with online
learning and lead to frustration for stu~
dents and teachers. Internet users know
that ability to "surf" the Web is tied
to the speed and reliability of the
Internet provider, CPU, and modem
speed, and ultimately to the costs of
these services and equipment. Techni~
cal difficulties can befall anyone in
cyberspace, and usually dQ at one time
or another, but they disproportionately
affect those who have the least ability
to pay.
III
D
o
o
II
D
•
•
•
.,
o
o
II
•
e
•
•
e
•
•
.,
II
III
o
o
o
•
I/>
II
II'
o
I/>
(I
•
o
•
/I>
•
o
(I
•
o
II
(I
•
o
II
(I
o
o
(I
o
.,
II
o
•
I/>
II
•
o
'0
o
o
o
o
(I
o
"
•
,0
Policy Analysis
21
�•
e
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
I)
•
"
'.
I)
I)
I)
The Public Policy Challenge
0
The good nevvs in the U.S. is that more
industries, are beginning to focus on this
"
people are attaining higher levels of edu
problem. For example, Microsoft Chair
cation and filling millions of skilled,
man Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have
I)
r-
•
•
I)
•
•
0
0
0
0
high-paying jobs in a strong economy.
endowed a foundatiQn with over $1 bil
The bad news is that the least educated
lion dollars dedicated to making "sure
and skilled are getting a smaller piece of
everyone has the ability to have Internet
the pie and wealth disparities have
access, regardless of where they live or
reached unprecedented extremes. Nar
how much money they have" (Hafner,
I)
•
•
0
I)
•
rowing this gap is surely one of the
1999, p. 18). The foundation is donat
greatest challenges facing our country.
ing computers, along with techniCal
0
training and support, to libraries across
0
I)
•
0
0
I)
.
0
The virtual campus may widen oppor
the country; schools and community cen
tunities for some, hut,not by and large
ters will be targeted next.
for those at the low end of the socio
economic scale, who have traditionally
But private philanthropy alone-much
•
been underrepresented in higher edu-
less the marketplace, by itself-:-cannot
0
cation. Virtual space is infinite, but it
fix the problem of access. Government
does not promise universality or equity,
must play a part.
I)
G
•
e
It
I)
0
e
"
0
•
0
nor is it appropriate for many students
whose experience with technology is
The Clinton administration has placed a
li~ited-and :-vho might benefit far
high priority on educational technology
more from traditional delivery systems:
and narrowing the "digital divide" between
whites and minorities, the wealthy and the
0
0
..
0
Computers and the Internet are none
less advantaged. With Vice President Gore
0
theless changing the world as we speak.
in the lead on this issue, the administra
0
Fast and reliable access to technology
don has called for computers, quality,
I)
increasingly drives our economy and is
software, well-trained teachers, and afford
..
'key to individual opportunity in
able advanced telecommunications services
today's world. Special efforts must be
in every classroom in the country (see page
0
made to equalize technology's availabil
21), But the source of revenue to support
I)
ity and expand opportunity for all.
such an effort has divided the Congress,
•
I)
0
I)
0
.
(II
and the future of government intervention,
0
4>
0
New sources of philanthropy, generated
like the future of these learning technolo
in particular by the computer and related
gies, remains unclear.
0
0
fEll
I)
e
0
0
0
22
The College Board
�•
Perspectives
•
o
I)
•
•
III
o
Recommendations
o
To cap this monograph, we do not pretend to offer grand solutions. The issues
are complex and the pace of technological change is overwhelming. With no claim
to originality, we offer the following broad prescriptions to increase learning op
portunities for all.
•
•
•
•
•
•
For those who may be designing virtual campuses and programs:
•
•
•
o
Place access at the core ofsystem design. Access and inclusion should be the
principal values inspiring the use of new technologies to deliver or enhance
instruction.
o
•
•
•
•
•
..•
e
G
. Keep the promise of technology in perspective. The allure of technology can
become a drain on human and fiscal resources that can impede the mission of
institutions and their capacity to meet the needs of all students. Institutions
should aim to strike a balance between traditional and technology-based deliv
ery, and be prepared to alter the balance over time as the expectations and needs
of students change.
o
•
G
•
•
o
•
o
I)
•
o
•
III
Learn from the distance-learning pioneers. Those aiming to "go virtual" can
benefit from the experience of others in the careful integration of technology
and traditional modes of instruction. It is no surprise, for example, that WGU
and other recent ventures have chosen to team up with Britain's Open Univer
sity, drawing on its quarter century of success in distance education.
o
•
o
III
•
•
•
•
o
I)
•
For the communications industry, including both the makers and providers of
technology:
•
o
•
•
•
•
Consider broad access in the development ofproducts and the expansion ofmar
•
•
kets. More lucrative, high-end products and users are the driving force behind
•
the Internet's frenetic expansion. But the communications industry must step
up to the plate of social responsibility, which means at times looking beyond
bottom line, short-term interests, and toward longer-term, societal interests.
Over the long haul, increased access to technology for lower-income, less
advantaged citizens will benefit both society and industry.
Policy Analysis
23
I)
III
•
I)
o
•
o
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
.
�•
•
•
•
•
•
.,
•
•
•
o
'.••
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
For public policymakers:
II>
Take action to narrow the digital divide. The marketplace by itself will not
ensure access to technology. Government must intervene to ensure a level play
ing field via industry incentives and safety-net programs designed to broaden
access. Postsecondary students will only benefit from virtual instruction if they
have had the experience and exposure to technology earlier in their develop
•
•
.,
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
II>
ment.
Monitor progress toward equal access. The government must continue to gener
ate research and indicators on the social impact of the Internet. While current
data illustrate gaps in ownership of computers and online access, tomorrow's
research should probe the actual use of technology and how it impacts learning
opportunities for all citizens.
•
•
•
•
•
•
."
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
I)
II)
•
(I
II)
•
o
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
4\1
•
11>
•
•
o
•
•
•
•
4\1
24
The College Board
�11\
Perspectives
"
o
/II
Cit
.
o
o
AppendiX A: Among the leaders
o
GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY (www.wgu.edu)
Western Governors University (WGU) currently provides three degree and certifi
cate programs, wii:h15 additional programs expected in 1999. WGU has established
collaborative agreements with the Open University in Great Britain; the Open learn
ing Agency in British Columbia, Canada; the Tokai University Educational System
in Japan; and the Universidad Virtual del Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios
WESTERN
I)
/II
o
Ii)
ill
/II
..
o
ill
(I
..
I)
Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico.
,.
"
o
Cit
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY (www.open.ac.uk)
Established by a Royal Charter in 1969, the Open University of Great Britain has
served over two million people in England and around the world and awarded more
than 200,000 Bachelor's degrees. In 1998 alone, OU enrolled ov~r 200,000 students,
10 percent of whom reside outside of the UK. The average age of undergraduates is
37, with an average tuition cost of £3,500. OU employs approximately 3,750 full
time staff and 7,000 part-time associate lecturers. Most new courses have their own
dedicated Web sites and online conferencing facilities, with trained tutors and staff
assistance.
Cit
.
It
o
(I
Q
"
(I
..
It
o
"
o
"
o
..
o
Cit
THE CALIFORNIA VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY (www.california.edu)
The California Virtual University was established in 1996 shortly after California
opted out of the Western Governors University. That decision was .predicated on
the fact that California has invested heavily in its own, highly respected public sys
tem of higher education. Planners hope that CVU will provide increased access for
the deluge of students-more than 500,000-expected to enroll in California
postsecondary education within the next decade. CVU is in essence a broker and
does not grant degrees or certificates. Rather, it "serves as a gateway to technol
·ogy-mediated distance learning courses and programs from California
institutions." CVU sponsors include Cisco Systems, International Thomson Pub
lishing, Oracle Corporation, Pacific Bell, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Sun
Microsystems, Inc.
(I
/II
"
"
"
"
o
It
..
..
It
o
(I
"
(I
It
It
It
"
"
11\
Cit
"
"
<10
It
.
"
11\
e
I)
o
Policy Analysis.
25
/II
I)
�•
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
III
o
e
•
•
III
ell
ell
III
•
•
e
o
•
•
III
Ii)
GO
ell
III
.
EDUCATION CoMPANY CollEGE CoNNECTION ONLINE (www.jec.edulcdmap.html)
Formerly the Mind Extension Network, JEC College Connection is a partnership
of colleges and universities from around the nation, including the George Wash
ington University, the University of Col~rado, and the University of Delaware.
JONES
Ten degree programs and two certificate programs are currently available in the
areas of educational technology, business admi~istration, communications, nurs
ing, and hotel management. Instruction is provided via videotape and satellite
feed, with Internet and email support .
ell
III
o
•
e
..
'I)
ell
o
Ii)
•
•
o
..
•
•
o
THE UNIVERSIlY OF PHOENIX (www.uophx.edu)
Accredited in 1978, the University of Phoenix now serves more than 56,000 stu
dents, almost all of whom earned degrees prior to admission. While UP has become
widely identified with the "virtual" trend, in fact less than 5 percent of its enroll
ment is instructed online. The University of Phoenix system includes 74 campuses
and learning centers in 13 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. "Our
approach is based on openness and accessibility-not distance and isolation," ac
cording to UP's Web site.
ell
•
'I)
e
GO
•
"
III
o
e
III
ell
G
III
•
GO
GO
III
•
o
"
"
GO
REAL EDUCATION (rs.realeducation.com)
Developing onlirie, virtual instruction requires both technology and content. While
the former requires a major investment in campus.infrastructure, the latter is, in ac
tuality, the most expensive and substantial barrier to institutions that consider
"going virtual." Real Education is one among several companies that now help
campuses develop and deliver courseware. In 1998, Real Education signed more
than 60 colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Seton
Hall University, and the University of Colorado. Microsoft, WebCT, Pearson Edu
cation, and SkiliSoft are listed as strategic partners. In January 1999, Real
Education announced $15 million in private equity financing to support further
development and growth.
•
III
III
•
•
..
•
III
..
•
o
..
III
•
•
.
•
•
BLAcKBOARD, INC. (www.blackboardllc.com)
Like its competitor Real Education, Blackboard Inc. supports teaching and learning
over the Internet. Cornell University, Georgetown University, Tufts University, North
western University, the College of Wtlliam and Mary, and the University of Tennessee
at Knoxville utilize Blackboard, Inc.'s services. Strategic Partners include KPMG Peat
Marwick LLP, International Thomson Publishing, WW Norton Publishing Inc., Syl
van Learning Systems, EDUCAUSE IMS Project, GEO Interactive, and Microsoft.
III
26
The College Board
�..
"
..
.
Perspectives
.
<I
..
..
<I
AppendiX B: Web Site.Listing
Web Sites Providing Courseware
or Information on Distance Learning
o
o
..
.
o
TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF
HIGHER EDUCATION
Simon Fraser University
http://www.sfu.ca/cde
..
..
Argentina
Universite Laval - Alerion
http://www.ulaval.caldgfcldistancelindex.html
<I
<I
Universidad Nacional de San Luis
http://inter2.unsl.edu.ar/~cead
"
o
..
..
University of British Columbia
http://det.cstudies.ubc.ca
Australia
Edith Cowan University
http://www.echidna.sru.cowan.edu.aulVC!
Monash University
hup:llwww.dec.monash.edu.aul
University of Asia
http://www.uniasia.edu
University of Southern Queensland
http://www.usq.edu.auldec
Belize
Belize Institute ofTechnology
http://wwW.clarence.com/homelbit
Brazil
"
..
o
<I
o
University College Cape Breton
http://www.uccb.ns.caleca
It
<I
•
It
University College of the Fraser Valley
http://www.ucfv.bc.ca/online
"
o
o
o
..
•
..
Costa Rica
University of San Jose
http://www.usj.edu
II
<I
o
Hong Kong
..
It
Center for Educational Development
http://www.ced.com.hk
<I
o
.
0'
o
The Netherlands
o
C
Open University of the Netherlands
hnp:!!www.ouh.nl
<I
e
o
<I
Faculdade Carioca
http://www.carioca.br
..
New Zealand
e
e
Massey University
Instituto Nacional de Educacao a Disd.ncia
http://www.intelecto.netltextosl.htm
o
hnp:llwww.massey.ac.nz/~wwcues/aboutl
o
o
about.hrm
http://its-www3.massey.ac.nz
..
<I
!II
Canada
o
Iceland
Athabasca University
http://www.athabascau.ca/
..
e
C
Reykjavik Institute of Education
http://www.rvik.edu
II
.
..
co
Queen's University
hrtp:llwww.queensu.calpts
Policy Analysis
III
<I
27
c
co
e
o
�•
The. Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
411
"
•
"
<I
•
•
•
•
o
•
•
•
"
•
•
•
•
•
•
"
•
411
•
"
•
•
•
"
•
•
•
•
Spain
Centro de Ensefianza a Distancia
http://www.lXac.com
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
http://www.uoc.esl
I)
•
o
"
•
Florida State University
http://idl.fsu.edu/
The George Washington University
http://wwW.gwu.edu/ ~distance
South Africa
INTEC College - Southern Africa
http://www.intec.edu.za
Golden Gate University
http://cybercampus.ggu.edu
Sri Lanka
Idaho State University
http://wapi.isu.edul
Open University of Sri Lanka
http://www.ou.ac.lk
Louisiana College
http://lconline.lacollege.edu
United Kingdom
Louisiana State University
http://ls.lsu.edu
G
o
Florida Gulf Coast University
http://itech.fgcu.edu/distanlX
The Open University
http://www.open.ac.ukl
Michigan State University
http://www.vu.msu.edu
Sheffield University
http://www.shef.ac. ukluni/services/ dl u/ dluwebl
dluhome.html
Minnesota's Virtual University
http://www.mnvu.extension.umn.edu/
11>
University of London
http://www.lon.ac.uklexternal
The New School University
http://www.dialnsa.edul
.
United States
New York University
http://www.sce.nyu.edu/virtual
•
•
"
•
•
"
•
411
&
•
•
•
..
•
•
411
G
•
"
•
<I
Boston University
http://bumetb.bu.edu/
Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.cmu.edu/home/education/
education_distance.html
Central Michigan University
http://www.IXLcmich.edu
It
•
•
411
o
•
411
411
•
•
o
"
•
Chapman University
http://www.chapman.edu/oei
Christopher Newport University
http://www.cnuonline.edu/
Drexel University
http://www.drexe1.edu/distance
G
Nova Southeastern University
http://www.nova.edu
Old Dominion University
http://web.odu.edu/webroot/FrontEnd.nsf/
pagesl disrl rn
Penn State World Campus
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/
Purdue University
http://info.aes.purdue.edu/ acs/ disted.html
Rochester Institute ofTechnology
http://distance1earning.rit.edu/
Stanford University
http://stanford-online.stanford.edu/
o
•
CO
28
The College Board
r.
�o
Perspectives
•
o
o
•
o
SUNY Empire State College
http://www.esc.edu/
University of California at Berkeley
http://www.unex.berkeley.edu:4243/
o
o
o
Western International University
http://www.wintu.edul
COMMUNITY COLLEGES
•
•
.o
•
<I
III
Canada
University of California at Los Angeles
hrrp://www.unex.ucla.edu/
•
<It
George Brown - The City College
http://wWw.gbrownc.on.ca
<ill
III
•
University of Hawaii
http://www.hawaii.edu/dlit/
United States
University of Houston
http://www.uh.edu/uhdistance
Bellevue Community College
http://online.bcc.ctc.edu
University of Maryland, University College
hrrp:/ /www.umuc.edu/distance!index.html
Brevard Community College
http://www.brevard.cc.f1.us/distlrnl
University of MassachWfettS at Dartmouth
http://www3.umassd.edu/
Chemetka Community College
http://bbs.chemek.cc.or.us/publiddefaulr.htm
University of Missouri at Columbia
http://indepstudy.ext:missouri.edu
Clackamas Community College
hrrp://dl.dackamas.cc.or.us
..
<I
o
o
..
CI
1/
<I
o
•
•
o
o
I)
•
o
o
•
CII
o
.,
University of Missouri at Kansas City
hrrp:llvu.umkc.edu
Colorado Community College
http://www.ccconline.org
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
http://www.unl.edu/ExtendEd
Edmonds Community College
http://web.cce.edcc.edulcce/edol.htm
University of Nebraska at Omaha
http://www.ccs.unomaha.edu
Fayetteville Technical Community College
http://www.faytech.cc.nc.uslinfodesklvcampusl
vcampus.html
CII
..
"
..
.,
III
o
University of North' Carolina at Chapel Hill
http://www.unc.edu/cit
University ofTexas
http://www.utsystem.edu
University of Wisconsin
http://www.uwex.edu/
Virginia Polyrechnic Institute & State University
http':lIvro.vt.edu
Washington State University
http://www. wsu.edulvwsu
•
o
•
•
o
.,
Front Range Community College
http://frcc.cc.co.us/ distancel in tro. heml
o
Greenville Tech
http://www.college-online.com
•
o
III
o
III
o
Honolulu Community College
http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/ disdearn
."
o
9
•
o
Iowa Central Community College
http://ictn.iccc.cc.ia.us/distanceed
o
•
•
.,
Ivy Tech State College
http://207.115.178.3/distance-education
o
"
o
•
Webster University
http://www. websteruniv.edul
Policy Analysis
•
CII
29
CII
CII
o
�o
•
•
•
•
•
•
o
o
.,
•
o
•
•
o
o
o
•
•
•
.,
o
II
o
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
Lansing Community College
hcrp://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/executive/extension
United States Distance Learning Association
hrep://www.usdla.orgl
Laramie County Community College
hrrp:/ /www.lcc.whecn.edu/disred!disred.hrml
CONSORTIA OR COOPERATIVES
Canada
NorrhWest Arkansas Community College'
http://Iabs.nwacc.cc.ar. us/ disted
Pikes Peak Community College
http://www.ppcc.cccoes.edu/distanceed/
defaulr.hrml
CD
Ii>
II
Ii>
Pima Community College
hrrp:/ / co mmunity.cc. pima.edu/ cclwebclass.hrml
CD
•
•
Ii>
Ii>
•
.,
•
•
.,
Ii>
Rio Hondo College
hrrp:/ /www.rh.cc.ca.us/online
Rio Salado College
http://www.rio.maricopa.edu/
Ii>
Searrle Central Community College
http://seaccd.sccd.crc.edu/sccde
CD
Ii>
•
•
•
•
o
o
Trinidad Stare Junior College
http://www.rsjc.cccoes.edul
Yavapai College
http://www.yavapai.cc.az.us/ychome.nsfl?open
Ii>
•
o
I)
•
•
o
Ii>
•
o
o
•
•
PRO FESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
United States
ADEC Distance Education Consortium
hcrp:/ /www.adec.edu
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
hcrp:/ /www.chea.org
I)
o
•
•
•
•
•
o
CD
Ghana
Ghana Disrance Educarion Project
http://www.projecrscope.org
United Srares
Pitt Community College
hrrp:/ / sphynx. picr.cc. nco us/ des/ des.hrm
Ii>
•
•
•
•
.,
Contacr South
hcrp:/ /www.contactsouth.<?rg
The Distance Education and Training Council
hcrp:/ /www.detc.org
Accredired College Degrees by Correspondence
hrep:/ /www.collegeathome.com
California Virtual University
hrep:/ /www.california.edu/
Michigan Virtual Automotive College
hcrp:/ /www.mvac.org/
National Technological University
hcrp:llwww.ntu.edu/
Narional Universiries Degree Consortium
http://www.sc.edu.deisINUDC
Oregon Community College Distance
Education Consorrium
hrep://www.lbcc.cc.or.us/occdeclchart.html
PBS Adulr Learning Service Online
hrep://www.pbs.org/aduldearning/als/
Southern Regional Electronic Campus
h rep:/ /www.srec.sreb.org/
University Alliance
hrep:/ /www.universityalliance.com
Western Governors University
hcrp://www.wgu.edu/wgu/index.html
Global Alliance for Transnarional' Education
hcrp://www.edugate.org/
II
•
CD
o
o
30
The College Board
�o
o
o
o
o
Pe~spectives
o
CORPORATE COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES
Unieed Seaees
IBM Corporaeion
heep://www.ibm.com/
o
o
o
Germany
o
Virtual University of Berlin
hrrp:/ /wwwpc.prz.tu-berlin.de/prz/english/b/.
learning/indes4i.hem
o
o
o
o
o
Israel
o
o
Go
o
Lotus Educaeion
heep:/ /www.lotus.com/
Mulriservice Networks Division
heep:/ /www.mor.com/networking
Oracle Corporation
hrrp:/ /education.oracle.com
Go
Mexico
Mororola, Inc.
heep:/ /www.mor.com/
Inreractive Diseance Education And Learning
(IDEAL) Syseem, Arel Communications and
Software, Led.
hrrp:/ /www.arel.co.il!
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Go
Universidad Virtual del Siseema Tecnol6gico de
Monrerrey
heep:/ /www.ruv.ieesm.mx/
Unieed Seaee~
Sun Microsyseems
hrrp:/ /wwwsease2.vsec.sun.com/
FOR-PROFIT AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT
COMPANIES
Australia
o
o
o
o
Go
o
o
o
o
o
Apollo Group, Inc.
heep:/ /www.apollogrp.com/
o
College for Financial Planning
heep:/ /www.fp.edu/
Go
o
Africa
The African Virtual University
hrrp:/ /www.worldbank.org
(3
o
o
o
o
Instituee for Professional Developmenr
heep:/ /www.ipd.org/
•
o
o
o
University of Phoenix
heep:/ /www.uophx.edu/
•
o
o
The VETIWeb Building
heep:/ /www.veetweb.ner.au/
Canada
Go
Asymeerix Learning Syseems, Inc.
hrrp:/ /www.asymetrix.com/
Aehena University
hrrp:/ /www.aehena.edu
TVOnrario
h rrp:/ /www.rvo.org/eng/defaulr.heml
o
o
o
o
o
o·
Go
o
o
o
o
Blackboard, Inc.
hrrp:/ /www.blackboardllc.com
Denmark
The Virtual Oresund University
.hrrp:/ /www.uni.oresund.org
o
o
Caliber Learning Network: The Diseance
Learning Solurion for Working Professionals
hrrp:/ /www.caliberlearning.coml
Go
o
o
o
Cisco Conneceion Online by Cisco Syseems, Inc.
hrrp:/ /www.cisco.com/
Go
o
o
o
o
o
o
Go
Policy Analysis
31
o
o
�"
•
"
•
•
"
•
o
"
o
•
"
o
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
Coalition for Networked Information
hrrp:llwww.cni.orgl .
o
College of rhe Menominee National Virrual
Universiry
hrrp:1 Iwww.menominee.com/cmn/ programsl
home.hrm
o
o
Collegis, Inc.
hrrp:llwww.collegis.com/homel
o
Convene Inrernational, Inc.
hrrp:llwww.convene.coml
o
DeVey Inc.
hrrp:llwww.devry.coml
•
•
o
•
o
•
o
•
•
o
•
o
•
•
o
Keller Graduare School of Managemenr
hrrp:llwww.keller.edul
o
o
"
o
o
ICS Learning Sysrems (includes Business
and Indusrrial Training Division)
hrrp:llwww.icslearn.coml
The English Language Instirure of
America
hrrp:1 Iwww.ELILearn.com/con ren rs.h rm
Knowledge Online Oones Educarion Company)
hrrp:llwww.jec.edu
Jones Inrernational Universiry
hrrp:llwww.inrernational.edul
Lyceum: The Virrual Campus
hrrp:llwww.inrerlabs.bradley.edullyceum21
Magellan Universiry
hrrp:llwww.magellan.edu
Diversiry Universiry
hrrp:llwww.du.org
McGraw-Hill OnLine Learning
hrrp:llwww.mhonlinelearning.coml
Durand Communicarions, Inc.
hrrp:llwww.durand.coml
Narional Compurer Sysrems, Inc.
hrrp:llwww.ncs.coml
o
•
o
o
•
o
o
•
•
o
•
•
o
Education Communicarions (EduCom)
h rrp:1Iwww.educom.com/welcome.hrml
Insrcucrional Managemenr Sysrems Projecr
hrrp:llimsprojecr.orgl
Virrual Universiry Enrerprise
hrrp:llwww.vue.coml
New Horizons Compurer Learning Cenrers
hrrp:llwww.newhorizons.coml
o
•
•
•
•
•
o
..
o
•
o
"
•
•
o
o
•
o
o
•
•
o
•
"
•
o
•
•
o·
o
Education Managemenr Corporation
hrrp:llwww.edumgr.coml
New Promise
hrrp:llwww.caso.coml
ERASMUS Virrual Universiry
hrrp:11136.201.8.7Ivuniv/ERAShome.hrm
The Pangaea Network
hrrp:llwww.pangaeanetwork.coml
The Fielding Insrirure
hrrp:llwww.fielding.edul
PricewarerhouseCoopers Virrual Universiry
hrrp:llwww.vu.pw.coml
The Globewide Network Academy
hrrp:llwww.gnacademy.orgl
Real Educarion
hrrp:1 Irs.realeducation.coml
Harcourr Brace & Company
hrrp:llwww.harcourrbrace.com
Spacener
hrrp:1 Iwww.ge.com/capi rail spacenerl index2.hrm
California College for Healrh Sciences
hrrp://cchs.edul
32
Specrcum Virrual Universiry
hrrp:llwww.vu.org/campus.hrml
The College Board
�.
Perspectives
"
0
0
•
•
I)
•
Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc.
hup://www.educate.com/
•
0
0
•
•
•
TeleVideo Global, Inc.
hrrp:l/www.televid.com/
0
0
Toner Cable Equipment, Inc.
http://www.ronercable.com/
I)
0
0
0
0
The University of the United States
http://www.uus.edu
co
•
•
0
UOL Publishing, Inc.
http://www.uol.com
0
•
I)
•
The Virtual Classroom List
http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/classroom.html
0
0
"
0
0
Walden, University
http://www. waldenu.edu
0
•
'"
•
The World Lecture Hall
http://www.urexas.edu/world/lecturelindex.html
"
0
(I
Worldspace
http://www.worldspace.com/homepage.htm
(I
•
0
0
•
ZD University
herp://www.zdu.com/home.asp
0
0
0
"
..
MISCELLANEOUS
0
United States
0
0
•
•
Project SCOPE
hrrp:llwww.projectscope.org
0
•
•
•
General Distance Learning Information
herp:/ /www.yahoo.com/education/
distanceJearning
0
0
•
"
•
•
•
•
..
Lifelong Learning (database of institutions
offering distance learning)
herp:/I.www.lifelonglearning.com
0
0
0
•
•
0
•
•
•
0
0
Policy Analysis
33
0
�•
•
•
•
.
The Virtual University and Educational Opportunity
iii
"
•
III
CiI
•
..
,.
iii
•
o
III
G
•
•
•
o
CiI
•
•
•
•
•
•
o
•
•
o
•
•
•
•
•
II>
o
III
•
•
..
III
Q.
•
iii
Q
•
•
•
"
•
•
o
•
•
•
•
•
III
References and Resources
American Association for Higher Education
(1998, May). MHE Bulletin. Washington,
DC: American Association for Higher Educa
tion.
Baer, Walter S. (1998). "Will the Internet Trans
form Higher Education?" Annual Review of
Institute for Information Studies, pp. 81-108.
Barley, Stephen R. (1997). "Competence With
out Credentials: The Promise and Potential
Problems of Computer-Based Distance Edu
cation." Paper presented at the workshop on
Competence Without Credentials held Sep
tember 19, 1997 in Washington, D.C.,
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Educa
tion and The World Bank.
Blumenstyk, Goldie (1998, February). "Western
Governors U. Takes Shape as a New Model for
Higher Education.," The Chronicle ofHigher
Education. (www.chronicle.com).
Coley, Richard J., John Cradler, and Penelope K.
Engel (1997, May). '~Computers and Class
rooms: The Status of Technology in U.S.
Schools." Policy Information Report.
Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
Dertouzos, Michael (1998, September/October).
"The People's Computer." Techno/Qgy Review.
iii
CiI
•
iii
•
•
•
•
"
•
•
•
•
•
Deupree, John and Marjorie Peace Lenn, eds.
(I 997). Ambassadors ofu'S. Higher Education:
{)J4ality Credit-Bearing Programs Abroad. New
York, NY: College Entrance Examination
Board.
Dolence, Michael G., and Donald M. Norris
Dutant, Will and Ariel (1968). The Lessons ofHis
tory. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Emmert, Mark A. (1997, Summer). "Distance
Learning Tests America's Higher Education
Dominance." Connection. Boston, MA: New
England's Journal of Higher Education and
Economic Development, pp. 20-22.
Green, Kenneth C. (1997a). "Drawn to the Light,
Burned by the Flame? Money, Technology, and
Distance Education." ED journal, Publication
of the United States Distance Learning Asso
ciation.
Green, Kenneth C. (l997b). "High Tech vs. High
Touch: The Potential Promise and Probable
Limits of Technology-Based Education and
Training in Higher Education." Working pa
per prepared for the workshop on Competence
Without Credentials held September 19,1997
in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Education and The World
Bank.
Guernsey, Lisa (February 17, 1999). "Scholars
Call for Research on How Computers May be
, Widening the Global Economic Gap. " The
Chronicle ofHigher Education (www.chronide.mm).
Hafner, Katie (February 21, 1999). "Gifts From
Gates, With Windows Attached." New York
Times, pp. 1, 18.
Higher Education Research Institute (1999).
"Freshmen Embrace the Internet as an Edu
cational Tool.» The American Freshman:
National Norms for Fall 1998. Los Angeles,
CA:UCLA.
(1995). Transforming Higher Education: A Vi
sion for Learning in the 21st Century. Ann
Jones. Glenn (1997). Cyberschoo/S. Englewood,
Arbor, MI: Society for College and University
Planning (SCUP).
CO: Jones Digital Century, Inc.
III
CiI
34
The College Board
�o
o
o
o
o
Perspectives
o
Lakewood Publicarions (1997, October). "Indus
try Report 1997: A staristical picture of
employer-sponsored training in the United
States." Training. Minneapolis, MN: Lake
wood Publications.
Marchese, Ted (1998, May). "Not-So-Distant
Competitors: How New Providers Are Remak
ing the Postsecondary Marketplace." AAHE
Bulletin. Washington, DC: American Associa
tion for Higher Education.
U.S. Department ofEducarion (1997b). Distance
Education in Higher Education Institutions. A
Postsecondary Education Quick Informarion
System Report (NCES 98-062). Washington,
DC: Narional Center for Education Statisrics,
OERl.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
U.S. Department of Education (1999). "Internet
Access in Public Schools and Classrooms:
1994-98." Issue Brief (NCES 1999-017).
Washington, DC: National Center for Educa
rion Statistics.
Owston, Ronald D. (1997, March). "The World
Wide Web: A Technology to Enhance Teach
ing and Learning?" Educational Researcher 26,
pp.27.-33.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Phipps, Ronald A., Jane V. Wellman, and Jamie
p. Merisotis. (1998). "Assuring Quality in Dis
tance Learning: A Preliminary Review."
Summaty Report. Washington, DC: Council
for Higher Education Accreditation (http://
www.chea.org/index.htmll Pers pective/
assuring.html).
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Quality Education Data (1998) . Internet Usage in
Public Schools 1998, 3'" Edition. Denver; CO:
Quality Education Data.
"
o
o
U.S. Department of Commerce (1998). Falling
o
Through the Net II: New Data on the Digital
Divide. Washington, DC: National Telecom
"
o
o
munications & Informarion Administrarion.
o
o
o
CJ
U.S. Department of Education (1997a). ''Ad
vanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public
Elementary and Secondary Schools;· Fall
1996." Statistics in Brief(NCES 97-944).
Washington, DC: National Center for Educa
.tion Statistics.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Policy Analysis
35
o
o
o
o
o
�Viewpo~nt
http://www.hied.ibm.coml~ultiversity/Sum98/nationoflearners.html
"
\
"' .
Viewpoint
By Thomas Kalil
A Nation of Learners
The government is committed to helping provide access to
higher education and lifelong learning
Increasing investment in human capital
has been at the heart of the Clinton-Gore
administration's economic strategy. In a
global economy in which technology and
capital are increasingly mobile, America's
, standard of living rests on the skills of its
workers.
Evidence for the importance of investment
in skills and access to postsecondary
education can be seEm in the growing
wage premium for college-educated
workers. Between 1979 and 1995, the
average hourly wage gap between male
highschool graduates and college
graduates in their 30s increased from 26
to 53 percent. The equivalent gap for
women increased from 40 percent to 78
percent during the same period. A
well-educated citizenry is also essential
for a strong democracy, particularly given
the increased complexity of many policy
Iliu tratioll by Peter Kupe
issues. As Thomas Jefferson observed, "Whenever the people are well-informed,
they can be trusted with their own government. Wheneverthings get so far wrong
as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights."
'
That's why the administration has made access to higher education and lifelong
learning a top priority. In 1997, President Clinton signed into law the HOPE
scholarship, which will provide a tax credit of $1 ,500 for college or other
postsecondary training. He also succeeded in passing a lifelong learning credit of
20 perc;:ent for the first $5,000 spent on tuition and fees, and a tax-free Education
Savings Account. 'These policies are the largest investment in higher education
since the G.I. Bill 50 years ago. '
The role of technology in higher education
10f7
9/24/1999 10:34 AM
�Viewpoint
http://www.hied.ibm.comimultiversity/Sum98/nationoflearners.htm]
'This year, the administration has started to explore the
role that new technologies can play in expanding access
to higher education and lifelong learning. Earlier in the
administration, President Clinton and Vice President
Gore unveiled an ambitious initiative to promote the use
of technology in our nation's K .. 12 schools, by
.
connecting every classroom to the Internet by the year
2000, increasing access to multimedia computers,
providing technology training to teachers and
encouraging the development of high-,quality educational software and content.
In the last several years, we have seen the explosivegrowtti of the Internet and the
World Wide Web, affordable personal computers capable of handling
three-dimensional graphics and the development of new technologies such as
streaming audio and video, reusable software components, Internet-based
groupware that can support real-time and asynchronous collaboration,
easier-to-use authoring tools and digital libraries for research and education.
Significant technical barriers to th,e widespread adoption of technology-supported
education and training remain. F,or example, inadequate bandwidth to homes and
businesses makes it difficult to deliver rich, multimedia content. However, these
new technologies have the potential to provide distributed learning that is more
versatile, engaging and pedagogically powerful than one-way instructional
-television or videotapes of lectures.
Clearly, this is an issue that is beginning to receive increased attention in
government, industry and academia. A survey by the Department of Education,
found that in 1995, 33 percent of all higher education institutions offered distance ,
educ!3tion to more than 700,000 students. Under the aegis of EDUCOM, leading
universities have partnered with publishers and major technology companies such
as IBM to develop technical specifications for an Instructional Management System
(lMS), which will allow equcational content and distributed learning environments
from multiple au thors and vendors to work together. Several high-profile "virtual
university" initiatives have been launched, such as the Western Governors'
.University (WGU), the California Virtual University; the Michigan Virtual Automotive
College and the Southern Regional Electronic Campus.
These "virtual university" in-itiatives are experimenting with more than technology.
The WGU, for example, is offering "competency-based credentials." As opposed to
completing a certain number of credit-hours, students must demonstrate that they
have acquired knowledge and skills that are relevant to a particular domain. This
allows people who are knowledgeable abo!Jt a particular subject to make progress
toward a degree even if they have no college experience. Competency-based
assessment may be particularly important in a virtual environment-.since it is more
difficult to use traditional metrics such as "seat-time."
Allowing adults to learn at a time, place and pace
that is convenient for them would substantially
expand their access to the skills required to compete
,.
for high-wage jobs.
Advocates of distance learning argue that technology can make education more
accessible, affordable and effective. The administration's initial focus has been on
the use of technology to allow adults to learn "anytime, anyWhere."
Already, 5 million working adults are enrolled part time in America's colleges and
'20f7
9/24/199910:34 AM
�Viewpoint
http://www.hied.ibm.comimultiversity/Sum98/nationofleamers.htmI
universities. The percentage of students attending college and universities who are .
over 25 has increased from 28 percent in 1970 to 41 percent in 1994.
An even larger adult population ,would like to take college courses but cannot
attend a traditional college due to inconvenient class hours, distance from campus,·
the competing dem<;lnds of work and family, or a physical disability.
Allowing adults to learn at a time, place and pace that is convenient for them would
substantially expand their access to th.e skills that are required to compete for
high-wage jobs. In my view, this is the most compelling argument for expanding
. distance learning opportunities.
Clearly, technology-mediated instruction will not and should not eliminate the need
for campuses and residential programs, particularly for undergraduates. As one
educator observed recently, "Research indicates that social interaction in traditional
residential programs contributes substantially to the intellectual and ethical
. development of undergraduates."
Arguably, distance learning would be worth pursuing if it expanded access to higher
education to working Americans and did not increase costs or reduce quality. But
information and communications technologies may also be used to improve
instructional quality and productivity. For example:
• Modeling and simulation software can enable a more active, hands-on form of
learning that is better suited to many tasks than traditional lectures.
• Interactive courseware can give students immediate feedback on whether
they have mastered a particular concept and allow them to learn at their own
pace.
.
• Using hypermedia, students can explore subjects at different levels of depth,
depending on their interests and background.
• Students in some of the "asynchronous learning network" pilot projects
supported by the Sloan Foundation have reported increased communication
with other students and greater access to the instructor. The ability to
participate in these "communities of learners" is particularly important, given
the social nature of learning.
• Universities such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have redesigned
courses in physics and calculus using information technology in ways that
improve student performance and satisfaction while reducing costs:
We are still at the early stages of our ability to effectively use technology to support
lifelong learning. Much of the existing courseware consists of little more than an
electronic version of a textbook. Professors are using the World Wide Web primarily
to post the course syllabus and lecture notes. More experimentation is needed to
realize the full potential of information technology.
As Janet Murray concluded in Hamlet in the Holodeck, it can take decades before
we understand the real possibilities of a new media.
Clinton administration policies
To foster.this experimentation, the administration has proposed policies that would
reduce regulatory barriers to distance learning, support innovative pilot projects,
make the government a better user of information technology to train federal
workers, expand investment in learning technology R&D and help create a
Web-based marketplace for education and training resources. Below is a thumbnail
sketch of these policies.
30f7
9/24/1999 10:34 AM
�Viewpoint
http://www.hied.ibm.comlmultiversity~Sum98/nationoflearners.html
.
. . '
1. Expanding access to distance learnil)g by reducing regulatory barriers.
In its proposal for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the
administration sought to broaden opportunities for distance learners by
expanding eligibility for student aid and encouraging innovative u,ses of
technology by institu tions of higher education, while ensuring accountability
and quality. The administration believes that it is critical that the higher
education community address the accreditation, accountability and quality
issues that will be raised by increased use of distance learning.
In July 1998, the United States Senate approved some of the provisions the
administration has been fighting for. Under the Senate proposal, the
Secretary of Education would be authorized to waive' provisions of the Higher
Education Act for a limited number of institutions or consortia participating in a
distance learning demonstration program. This waiver authority could be used
to:
o Remove the "50 percent" restriction for distance learning. (Currently,
institutions that offer more than 50 percent of their courses by distance
or have more than 50 percent of their students as distance learners are
/ ineligible to participate in student aid programs.)
o Allow students to include the cost of computers in their living expenses.
, 0
Eliminate requirements for length of academic programs. Final passage
of the Higher Education Act is expected in the fall of 1998. .
2. Supporting innovative pilot projects. As part of his FY99 budget, President
Clinton proposed a new $30 million grant program (Learning Anytime
Anywhere Partnerships) to encourage innovation in the use of technology for
postsecondary educatio n and lifelong learning. This program, which would be
administered by the Department of Education, would support pilot projects
that are designed to expand the availability of learning opportunities using
technology. LAAP would also encourage regional and national p~rtnerships
among educational institutions, state and local governments, employers and
software companies.
.
3. Making the government a better user of technology for training its ow,n
employees. In January 1998, President Clinton sent an Executive .
Memorandum to agency heads directing them to make "full use of emerging
technologies to improve the cost-effectiveness and the quality of Federal
training programs."
40f7
9/24/1999 10:34 AM .
�Viewpoint
http://www.hied.ibm.comlmul tiversityISum98/nationotlearners.html
The President also directed the National Economic
Council and the Office of Science and Technology
. Policy to develop a government-wide strategy for
taking advantage of technology-based training. The
plan is' supposed to show how agencies will:
• Make use of best commercial practices when
purchasing instructional software;
• Work with businesses, universities and other
entities to foster a competitive market for
electronic instruction
• Support R&D that will accelerate the
development of new instructional
tech nolog ies.
Pr""idelll Clill['''l Ie"!.!,, •. n
41idllil;lIIQ" To .... II fillIl'ltllliJ
ift Cla'k.bu.g. W.V.
Some agen<;:ies are already moving in this direction.
For example, the Department of Defense has
launched the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)
initiative, which is designed to meet the education
and training needs of the military and the nation's
work force using computer and Internet-based
training. A key gOal of the ADL is to foster the
creation of re-usable learning content as
"instructional objects." These objects can be
customized to meet both civilian and military
requirements. For example, DoD is partnering with
General Motors to develop electronic performance
supp ort systems for vehicle repair, which can be
tailored to meet the needs of repair technicians
fixing cars or tanks. The Defense Department is an
active participant in EDUCOM's efforts to develop
.the necessary technical specifications.
In July 1998, the National Economic Council and the Office of Science and
Technology Policy formally requested the assistance of businesses and
universities in an effort to greatly expand the use of technology to improve
federal training programs for both military and civilian employees. The
administration has established a Web site (http://www.fed-training.org) to
collect comments.
.
4. Investing in research and development. The administration has also been
increasing its investment in R&D to advance'the state-of-the-art in learning
technologies. Recently, for example. the Department of Commerce's
Advanced Technology Pr ogram issued a request for proposals for Adaptive
Learning Systems (ALS). The overall goals of ALS include the development
of network-centric instructional systems that are more affordable, accessible
and better adapted to the individual requirements of educators and learners.
Technical goals include the development of authoring systems that can be
used by non-programmers, greater reusability of software' components and
better discovery and retrieval of educational resources.
5. Creating a Web-based market for education and training resources. The
President's FY99 budget increases support for Department of Labor initiatives
in labor market information. The Department of Labor has been developing a
50f7
9/24/199910:34 AM
�Viewpoint
http://www.hied.ibm.comlmultiversity/Sum98/nationof1earners.html
whole suite of services called "America's Career Kit." Americans can use
these services to search for job openings, post resumes, identify education
and training related to their skill needs, and locate labor market information
related to their occupational interests. For example,' America's Labor
Exchange (ALX) is an effort by the Department of Labor to create a
Web-based marketplace for education and training resources. Eventually,
individuals. will be able to quickly and easily discover which skills are required
for a particular job, and which providers offer the necessary training. Training
providers and software developers can also post their offerings. One could
imagine employers using ALX to identify other companies that would be
willing to share the development costs of high-quality instructional software
for a particular skill.
.
Advancing the National Debate'
In addition to the specific policies that we have
recommended, the administration is interested in
fostering a broader national discussion about the
appropriate role of information technology in
supporting higher education and lifelong learning. In
the first instance, that will require engaging critics
and skeptics in a serious debate, as opposed to
dismissing anyone who is not enamored with
technology as a Luddite. A number of educators and
social commentators have raised fundamental
objections to greater use of distance education,
warning of "digital diploma mills." They are.'
concerned about the loss of social interaction in a
virtual environment, the lack of attention to the
pedagogical effectiveness of technology and the
allegedly coercive nature of some campus
technology initiatives.
Recently, more than 800 faculty members at the University of Washington sent a
letter to Gov. Gary Locke expressing opposition to the notion of a "virtual
university." They stated that "While costly fantasies of this kind present a
mouthwatering bonanz a.to software manufacturers and other corporate sponsors,
what they bode for education is nothing short of disa.strous. Education, moreover, is
not regucible to the downloading of information, much less to the passive and
solitary activity of staring at a screen."
.
It will also require further exploration of a number of issues that are critical to the
success of distance education. For example, one subject that warrants additional
attention is the scarcity of high-quality instructional software. One of the principal
conclusions of 1996 workshop sponsored by EDUCOM was that "we have not yet
seen the emergence of a viable market for interactive learning materials in higher
education."
Most software or instructional material that is developed by an individual faculty
member is not widely used in other ciasses. Universities and faculty members are
not in a position to provide sales, marketing and customer support that may be
needed to successfully commerciai!;:e instructional software. To date, software
companies and publishers (with a few exceptions) have been reluctant to make the
. large upfront investments needed to produce sophisticated, interactive courseware.
.\
60f7
The administration is interested in fostering a
broader national discussion about the appropriate
9/24/199910:34 AM
�Viewpoint
.
http://www.hied.ibm.conllmultiversity/Sum98/nationofleamers.html
..
role of information ter,hnology in supporting higher
education and lifelon:~ !Garning.
Clearly, companies would need to achieve "economies of scale" to recover the
development costs-wllicll can be several million dollars per course. It would be
interesting to see whetller consoliia or other forms of collaboration could help'·
reduce the risks involved or sllal*e dcwelopment costs ..
Universities are starting to experiment with consortia for digitaJ library projects. The
JSTOR (Journal Storage) project is 3Howing universities to pool resources to pay
for the digitizationand storage of back issues of scholarly journals. This provides
students and faculty with 24x7 access to the journals and an ability to conduct
online searches, wllile reducing arc. ,ivai costs.
There are many olher 'challenges th~.t iT1USt be addressed, including federal and .
state regulations, intellectual prop~; ~. riGhts. and tile evolution of accreditation and
assessment in a distanco learning :. '·.:;;-onment. These are tough issues, but the
administration believes that progr8s;; in this area could significantly expand access
to higher education ane! tifetol1g: IGn~'liilg, pat-ticularly for working Americans. As we
enter the knowledge-intensive eeor.amy of the·21 st century. it is imperative that we
become a "nation of learners." A!th:~' :gl1 the administration is committed to playing
a catalytic roie, real progress will d .;er:d on the wiiiingness of everyone with a
stake in higher education and IifeIQ:'-; Isarning to take risks, make significant
investments, share iclensrlnd
:.; in 3n honest debate about what policies will
promote the public inter.sst.
.
Thomas Kalil is SCllior Diredor ol/he While','!
'1.1" Nlli/OJ/II/
,
EClillolllic COUIlCiI.
.,'.:: f
<
70f7
9/2411999 10:34 AM
�-
Education ON eek: D-igital Divide
~~~
wysiwyg://22/http://www .edweek. org/context/topics!digital.htl11
TEACHER NAGAZIHE
EDUCATION WED{
P800UCTS &SERVICES
Thanks to technological innovation, exchange between individuals
separated by time, space, and place is more extensive and more intimate
than ever before. At the same time, traditional loci of economic and
social power, threatened by new players in a more fluid,
technology-driven, global society, are being forced to revise their
strategies or face certain demise. As segments of society become
increasingly dependent on the Internet, hierarchies shift and deeply
ingrained assumptic)J1s about race, class, gender, and national identity
seem less palpable.
And yet, as much as technology is altering the way Americans order the
world, it also has the potential to perpetuate disparities, class advantage,
and racial bias. The "digital divide," first coined by the U.S. Department
of Commerce report Falling Through the Net, describes an
Mever-widening gap between technology haves and have-nots.
L:J
r'Oth I
p
I
er ssues ages:
Other Issues Pages: Main
Issues Page America Reads
Assessment Bilingual
Education Charter Schools
ChoiceNouchers Class Size
College Access Community
Partners Community Service
Distance Le,arning
,
Desegregation Ear:'Y Le~rnlng
Evolution/Creationism Gifted
Ed~cation Gender Equity
GUidance Counseling History
Standards Home Schooling
Inclusion The Internet
National Standards Parental
Involvement PhOniCS
Privatization Prof,
.,
.
No where is .this gap more salient than in
our na t'IOn,s sc hools . Today, b oxes an d
wires are still an issue for all but the
wea Ith'Ies t BC h00 Is. A cc.ord'mg to.th
e
authors of Technology m EducatIOn 1999,
an annual look at .computers in schools by
Market Data Retnev%lt~P"Q"c~~t.of
schools have Internet access 111 tHe'
.
..'
..
wealthIest commumtJes compared to only
84 percent of the schools in poorer areas ..
In addition to income, several
. ~:f6i::r:~::sconstltubon studies--most notably Novak and
School·Based Mgmt School Hoffman's 1998 Diversity on the Internet:
Construction School Finance T'h R I .
'h . '{'R
School-to-Work Teachers
.l, e
e atzons lp oJ ace to A ccess an d
Tracking Uniforms Violence Usage --have pointed to the race
Vouchers
difference in Web use. .
Glossarv
hardware
hy~ermedia
mubmedia
Web
Related
Organizations
Center for
10f3
Inequitable distribution of hardware has
been addressed by both the federal
government and the private sector. Despite
steady progress, Vice President Al Gore's
goal of connecting all the nation's schools
to the Internet by 2000 seems far from
being realized as 1999 draws rapidly to a
close. The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation has contributed $1.3 billion to
battle the digital divide. PowerUp aligns
rivals America Online and Microsoft,
sports-snack maker PowerBar and General
Colin Powell in a multimillion-dollar
. initiative to bring computer access to
every child in the nation by creating
2/13/2000 10:03 PM
�wysiwyg:II22/http://www.edweek..org/context/topics/digital.htm
Education .Week: Digital Divide
Center for
Educatronal
Leadership and
Technolo 9
Center for\Jational
, Origin, Race, and
Sex Equity
International
Technology
Education
Association
Quality Education
for Mlnonhes '
(OEM) Network
¥
every child in the nation by creating
thousands of technology centers in poor
communities over the next few years. And III
Secretary of Commerce hosted a Digital Divide Summit.
Many observers downplay the impact of the digital divide and argue that
it is only a matter of time before everyone is connected to the Internet.
Others argue that the unequal distribution of tech resources will have
lasting effects on the evolution of technology and many of them to the
,
peril of those who are currently underrepresented online. Marcelino
Ford-Livene of the Counsel for New Media Policy puts the predicament
well in "The Digital Dilemma:" "There are many people who think that
the digital divide poses no cause for alarm. They argue that since today's
Internet is so new, the majority of AIriericans, regardless of color, are
not even online yet. They feel it is simply a matter of time before
millions and millions of minorities start to regularly access the Internet.
While time is a factor, there is still much cause for alarn1..In order to
fully participate in this new medium, minorities must be a part of its
development from its inception."
On the Web
Bridging the Digital Divide. The Benton Foundation's digital divide
clearinghouse. Comprised of links to recent research on the topic,
news releases, volunteer information, and funding resources.
Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide, U.S.
Department of Commerce. The third report in the Falling Through
the Net series on the telecommunications and information
technology gap in America, July 8, 1999 . .
Internet Access in Public Schools and Classrooms: 1.994-98.
Since 1994, the National Center for Education Statistics has been
tracking the rate at which public schools and classrooms are gaining
access to the Internet. Read a February 1999 issue brief detailing
their findings.
Diversity on the Internet: The Relationship of Race to Access
and Usage, Novak and Hoffman, Vanderbilt University, Project
2000, February 1998. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Closing the EguityGap in Technology Access and Use: A
Practical Guide for K-1.2 Educators. Developed by the Northwest
Regional Education Library, this comprehensive guide enables users
to assess how well they are providing eqUity in educational
technology and in turn, to formulate a plan to improve performance.
Find a community technology center near you.
I
"Connecting Kids and Communities to the Future," the results
of a poll commissioned by the Education and Library Networks
Coalition, concludes that the E-rate program is playing a pivotal role
in bringing technology to students.
The Office of Educational Technology is an independent office
within the U.S. Department of Education that aims to enhance
technological capabilities in American classrooms and to strengthen
20D
2/13/2000 10:03 PM
�wysiwyg://22/http://www,edweek,org/contextltopics/digital.htrn
Education ·Week: Digital Divide
technology literacy in schools nationwide.
E-ma'il interview with Bill Gates, conducted by the AASA, Feb. 22,
1999. Gates addresses equitable distribution of technology and the
ideal techn'blogy curriculum for elementary students.
Resources on Race, Ethnicity, and Class and the Internet.
Complied by Dr. Kali Tal, University of Arizonain Tuscon, 21st
Century Project. Selections include "The Unbearable Whiteness of
Being: African American Critical Theory and Cyberculture, '! What it
Means to be Black in Cyberspace, and "Buying into the Computer
Age: A Look at Hispanic Families."
Annotated Bibliography: Resources on Technology Access and
Community Technology Centers, Alliance for Community
Technology, University of Michigan. A collection of papers and
resources relevant to community technology centers and their goals,
operation, and impacts.
Read more about the efforts of the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
In the "Digital Dilemma," Marcelino Ford-Livene of the Counsel for
New Media Policy, Federal Communications CommiSSion, cites ten
challenges facing minority-owned new media ventures. From the
Virtual Information Institute, Columbia Institute for
Tele- Information.
OneNetNow.com, an online community promoting exchange
between people of all ages, races, and ethnicities, is expect'ed to
launch on Jan. 17,2000. Yusef Jackson is the chair; board members
include actor/activist Edward James Olmos, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.,
actor/actiVist Andrew Shue, baseball great Sammy Sosa, Kenneth
"babyface" Edmonds, business leader Percy Sutton, business leader
Carlton Jenkins, Producer Julio Caro and entertainment executive
Tracey Edmonds.
E-Mail for All Outreach Campaign. Sponsored by the Markle
Foundation, E-mail for All is informing the debate on equal access to
technolo
throu h research and dialo
II
© 1999 Editorial Projects in Education
30f3
2/13/2000 10:03 PM
�Equity in Educational Technology: Issues - Access
http://www.netc. org/equity/access.html
Equity in Educational Technology'
Issue: Access
Physical access to available educational technologies' varies greatly across districts and
within schools. Funding differences'between rich and poor school districts are substantial
and result in less access to educational technology for low-income and minority students.
The following assumptions, which are usually unconscious arid unstated, often contribute to
UNEQUAL ACCESS for different groups of students:
1. Schools can't keep up with rapidly changing hardware and software; most students
will learn what they need to know onthe job.
2. Most lower-income, ethnic minority, limited-English speaking or lower-achieving
students will not proceed to higher education.
3. We're doing okay because at least we're exposing those kids to some form of
. technology.
,
4. All students are more or less equal in their ability to benefit from computer-based
curricula.
.
Questions
Below is a checklist that will assist you in identifying access inequities in educational
technology. Select the "Always," "Usually," "Rarely," or "Never" response for each
question. Then select the "Summarize My Answers" button at the end ofthe checklist to
receive a summary of your responses. You will also be able to view a list of strategies for
promoting equitable access to educational technology. YoLi may then print both your
responses and the list of strategies.
.. istrict Level
D
c
10f3
211312000 10:05 PM
�http://www.netc.org/equity/access.html
Equity in Educat.ional Technology: Issues - Access
Always
Usually Rarely
Never
®
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
O·
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
I
0
0
0
O·
0
0
0
I
'
.®
Do schools serving mostly lower-income children have the
same equipment and course offerings as schools serving'
mostly higher-income children?
Do' schools serving mostly children of color have the same
equipment as schools serving mostly white children?
Do you work to overcome existing access inequalities
. between schools?
Do you set minimum standards for technology in all
district schools to ensure that all students have adequate
access?
Do you work with your local site councils,on equity in
educational technology so that they understand the
ramifications of their decisions?
Are schools with limited resources able to supplement
existing courses or obtain full course offerings with
distance learning technology?
Do a proportionate number of experienced teachers teach
in schools with predominantly students of color, resulting.
in equal access to high-quality instruction?
.. School Level
Always Usually Rarely Never
®
o
o
'0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
®
0
0
0
L S~~!!1arize My Answers
__
20f3
II
Do all students and parents or guardians, especially those
from special populations groups, receive a clear message
from all levels - teachers, counselors, administrators - that
technology literacy is valuable for all students?
If you trackstudents, do you provide students inthe general
or professional-technical track with the same access to
educational technology as those in the academic track?
Are computers housed in a variety of locations so that they
are available to all students and for diverse uses?
Are students without computers at home or who do not
participate in private computer camps provided access to
equipment and instruction to mitigate this disadvantage?
If students without certified learning differences bring
laptops to school, have youexanlined whether this creates
any academic disadvangage for other students?
Are students with disabilities provided with 'assistive
devices so they are able to use available equipment?
Do limited English speaking students have access to
software programs and instruction in their first language or
iIi an English as a Second Language (ESL) environment?
If the school has limited equipment, is its use available to
all students, not only the gifted or those needing basic skills
assistance?
Are'all teachers adequately trained to use technology as
part Of their teaching?
Start Over -Clear Yes/No Responses
2/13/2000 10:05 PM
�Equity in ElducMi01~al Technology: Issues - Access
http://www.netc.org/equity/access.html
t
Strategies
IEIYou.ve read the issues
~
.
L~You've asked yourself the questions
It
INow read the Access Strategies !
~
ll!lJJ Or
continue on from the Starting Point
Closing the Equity Gap - http://www.netc.org/equity/
Last Updated: June 9, 1999
300
2/1312000 10:05 PM
�The College Board
45 Columbus Avenue, New York, New York 10023-6992
(212) 713-8000
Office of the President
Carolyn Breedlove, Senior Professionals Associate
National Education Association
J. B. Buxton, White House Fellow
Domestic Policy Council Education
The White House
\
\
Jeanne Hayes, President & CEO·
QED (Quality Educationpata)
\
Gary D. Keller, Regents, Professor, Director
Hispanic Research Center, Arizona State University
Michel Marriott, Technical Editor
NY Times
Min on Moore, Assistant to the President & Director of Political Affairs
The Nhite House
(Unable to attend)
Bren cia Williams, Executive Director, Office of Technical & IS
Dep rtment of Education of West Virginia
Gast
Chiar
Com
John
Alan
n Caperton, President
I Coletti, Vice President
unications & Public Affairs
iarnill, Execu~ive Director Public Affairs
eaps, Vice President IChief of Staff
Educational Excellence for All Students
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Andrew Rotherham - Education Series
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Domestic Policy Council
Andrew Rotherham
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1999-2000
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36329">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/id/612954">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2011-0103-S
Description
An account of the resource
The Education Series highlights topics relating to class size reduction, test preparation, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, charter schools, the digital divide, distance learning, youth violence in schools, teacher salaries, social promotion, Hispanic education, standardized testing, and after-school programs. The records include reports, draft legislation, memoranda, correspondence to and from organizations and community leaders that focus on education issues, articles, publications, email, and fact sheets relating to the Administration’s progress on education.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Adobe Acrobat Document
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
171 folders in 12 boxes
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Digital Divide
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Domestic Policy Council
Andrew Rotherham
Education Series
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2011-0103-S
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 2
<a href="http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/Systematic/2011-0103-S-edu.pdf">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/id/612954">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Adobe Acrobat Document
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
8/22/2013
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
2011-0103-Sa-digital-divide
612954