BRITISH EDUCATION SECRETARY ACCUSES UNIVERSITIES OF FAILING THE POOR - Far-reaching changes are afoot in Britain's higher education system. Recent government-initiated privatization, workforce education and e-learning programs are ushering colleges and universities towards what is known there as "the American Model." Now, according to a report by the BBC, Britain has discovered its own version of the "digital divide," known as "the cultural divide" between families with local dialects and no tradition of sending children to higher education, and the more urbane, university-educated "haves." Speaking at the annual conference of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) this week, Education Secretary David Blunkett blasted British higher education for abandoning the poor and told his audience that he was the only person "within a square mile" on his council estate to go to university. He estimated that a third of all pupils in the country were missing out on the opportunity of higher education. Citing the American GEAR UP program as a model, Secretary Blunkett announced a new round of government initiatives aimed at creating "opportunity bursaries" for A-level students in deprived areas, and at helping universities attract more applications from gifted youngsters from low income families by supporting mentoring and summer school programs. Read more on the BBC website at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_742000/742468.stm (E-News from UCEA - No. 27, 22 May 00)

PARENTS RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT SCHOOL'S LAPTOP-ONLY ELECTIVE - California's Orange Unified School District has embraced the Internet and is now making e-classes available in its schools. While the district's Villa Park High School moves ahead with its eHistory class, McPherson Magnet School was criticized earlier in the year for closing off its middle-school level English and history classes to students who do not have laptops. Eddie Albright, who has two children attending McPherson Magnet School, was among a number of parents who saw the laptop-only electives creating a digital divide because the classes would put students who cannot afford the computers at a disadvantage. Experts seemed to agree that although it is important to bring technology into the classrooms, it should not be done at the expense of children of poor families. In fact, the Orange Unified school board agreed to look into ways of providing laptops for all of the school's students. The ideas suggested include allowing students to buy new laptops for between $1,500 and $2,000, lease units for $40 to $50 per month, buy used laptops for about $500, check out a unit from the school, or use a school zip drive to transfer information between school and home computers. (eSchool News, 22 May 00 - Edupage 27 May 00)

KERRY BILL SEEKS HIGH-SPEED NET ACCESS FOR POOR AREAS - Two Senators plan to target the digital divide with legislation awarding tax breaks to phone and cable companies that introduce high-speed Internet access in poor and rural areas of the country. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) are putting the finishing touches on the bill and expect to introduce it no later than next week. The bill has bipartisan support, Kerry said. The lawmakers are still deciding how much of a tax credit to award companies, but Kerry said the amount "will be generous." Some experts said Kerry's plan could greatly help efforts to bridge the digital divide in high-speed access. Others, such as Queens College Professor David Cabel, warned that the plan could prove difficult to carry out. (Boston Globe Online, 23 May 00 - Edupage 27 May 00)