Hawai'i 'poverty' schools rich in Internet access

By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Education Writer

When it comes to technology, students at Hawai'i's poor schools have more opportunities than their Mainland counterparts, according to a national report released today.

Kahuku Elementary sixth-graders use AlphaSmart computers in their writing class. Kahuku is listed among the nation's top 100 "wired" schools. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

But that's not the case in Hawai'i. While poor students on the Mainland may be falling into a digital divide, Hawai'i's "poverty" schools are actually faring better than more affluent schools.

One hundred percent of Hawai'i's high-poverty schools have Internet access from one or more classrooms, compared with a national average of 76 percent.

A high-poverty school is defined as having more than 50 percent of students in the federal program for free lunches or meals at reduced prices.

While Hawai'i's education system often does not do well in national comparisons, it appears to be ahead of the curve when it comes to technology.

"We're very well wired," said Jeff Bloom, president of the Computer Training Academy, a software training and development center that works with Hawai'i students to encourage careers in technology. "The (state Department of Education) has taken the initiative to really make sure that we get the technology in schools."

Making better use

Hawai'i does continue to lag near the bottom of the 50 states for the ratio of students to computers, but schools are doing a better job of using what they have, said Diana Oshiro, the DOE's assistant superintendent in charge of technology.

"I think we're doing well," said Oshiro, as she listed the department's efforts to boost technology, from the online E-School for students to planned virtual classes for teachers.

Kahuku Elementary is one of the schools that has helped Hawai'i buck the national trend of reduced opportunities for poor students. Sixty-five percent of the rural school's 600 students are classified as poor, but the school was recently named one of the nation's top 100 "wired" schools by Family PC magazine.

"This school has been here for 13 years, and from Day 1 we've been emphasizing technology," said principal Frank Kalama. "We buy what we can and we scrounge what we can."

Best use of technology

According to Education Week, one of the biggest challenges for schools is figuring out how to use computers to boost student performance. An Education Week poll of 500 students in Grades 7-12 found that computers are not used often to help students understand new concepts.

But Kalama believes their emphasis on technology already is partly responsible for the school's steadily increasing test scores.

Kahuku's technology coordinator, Dorian Langi, meets with other teachers at least once a week to be sure the technology is enhancing the curriculum.

"We want them to use a variety of technologies when they are doing their regular work," Langi said. "We want them to be creative because it's more fun for them, and the more fun it is, the more they will do."

As early as kindergarten

Students begin using computers from kindergarten. They learn how to research topics on the Internet and produce reports complete with text, animation and video. They create interactive programs based on research of past presidents or concepts such as the food chain.

For sixth-grader Ruta Mamea, computers have been as much a part of school life as pencil and paper. It began with interactive learning games in kindergarten. These days it takes just a few clicks of the mouse for Ruta to draw a basketball hoop and animate a ball to shoot up and through the net.

And these days she's so proficient, she has even helped teach her substitute teacher.