At Schools, Not All Computers Are Equal
Call it the technology gap. Though Florida promises an equal education for its students, children get anything but equal treatment when it comes to computer equipment. And the disparity is growing even as the ability to navigate an up-to-date computer is seen as being just as key to learning as the ability to read an up-to-date textbook.
Call it the technology gap. Though Florida promises an equal education for its students, children get anything but equal treatment when it comes to computer equipment. And the disparity is growing even as the ability to navigate an up-to-date computer is seen as being just as key to learning as the ability to read an up-to-date textbook. Though Florida guarantees that students in rich and poor schools have the same textbooks, it does not call for similar computer technology, reports Mary Shanklin. In fact, the state has cut school-technology spending by about one-third in just five years -- from about $26 per student in 2000 to $18 this year. State coffers are flush with a $3 billion tax surplus, but when it comes to computers, state officials hope local districts will pick up the slack.
Published Friday, Mar. 10, 2006