Invest in Bridging the Digital Divide

The path to America’s ascendance as this century’s world leader runs through the schoolhouse door. Advances in public health and medical science, transportation, exploration in space, the ocean and the natural world in which we live are rooted in the collective belief that education for all is the foundation of a strong society.

The American century began with waves of new immigrants. A better way of life has been the strong lure, and public education the catalyst, making it possible for people to realize their potential.

Since their inception, community colleges have propelled millions into society with skills that contribute to its strength and vitality. California alone has 107 community colleges, serving nearly a million students a year. Yet community colleges in this area face a new danger--helping disadvantaged students bridge the digital divide without sufficient funding to keep pace with technological advances occurring in our society.

It is easy to believe that everyone is participating in the computer culture. In fact, less than half of all Americans own a computer; fewer still are online regularly. Orange County increasingly is bifurcated in wealth and education, a schism the digital divide only accentuates.

To address this growing inequity, Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Trustees approved a general education requirement that includes computer skills and applications for all associate degree candidates, a move intended to increase graduates’ marketable skills. Still, this and all community college districts must rely primarily on state funds to upgrade the technology needed for students to succeed in the work force.

But of California’s three public higher-education systems, the community colleges receive the least amount of state funding, an average of $3,839 per student. In contrast, the state university system receives $8,065 per student and the University of California system receives nearly $15,836 per student from the state. The national average spent on community college funding per student is $6,100.

Ignoring the digital divide will contribute to a society in which the gulf deepens between those who are literate and technically proficient and those who are not.

Today’s community colleges need adequate funding from government and from the private sector if they are to address students’ diverse learning goals and prepare them for the future.