An Urgent Need for Technology in Schools.

Education has always been the cornerstone of our children's future, but there are cracks in its foundation.

We expect our schools to offer a safe learning environment, expand our children's social skills and provide a quality education that will enhance our children's lives. We demand that our schools provide the basics and we also expect them to evolve with the times. We, as a society, would be disturbed if schools did not adjust to cover contemporary events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Persian Gulf crisis, the Soviet Union breaking into republics, genetic cloning and space exploration.

We must focus with the same fervor in calling for technology in our schools.

The basics of education have expanded beyond the so-called 3R' s of reading, writing and arithmetic to now include computer technology. Computers are an integral part of our everyday fabric and are used in all aspects of life, including automatic coffee makers, telephones, and air conditioning and heating systems. Students who do not understand computer technology are unprepared for the Information Age.

Unfortunately, technology has not been integrated into our educational system. A recent Education Week survey concluded that 77 percent of teachers consider the computer a secondary, rather than primary resource. This comes on the heels of another study cited by Larry Cuban, professor of education at Stanford University, which found that teachers, on average, used computers fewer than 10 times a year with their students. Teachers are avoiding computer use in the classroom either due to a lack of training or because school computers are outdated.

Gov. Gray Davis and the Legislature have addressed computer technology and teacher training issues in the 2000 budget to include $200 million on the "California Technology Initiative." The budget earmarks $175 million in state money to upgrade and buy new computers and Internet connections, to bring California classrooms into the present. The budget also includes $25 million for teacher training in computer technology. This will help ensure that our educators have the necessary skills to assist our students in getting online.

Government is not the only group integrating technology into our student learning. Several higher-education institutions, including the University of Phoenix, Pepperdine and the California State University system, now offer a master of arts in education degree with emphasis in technology to help teachers understand modern computer systems. Microsoft and several Silicon Valley firms have also generously contributed to school districts by providing teacher training and technological upgrades.

These are steps in the right direction. But more needs to be done. Technology funding represents less than 0.65 percent of the entire $30.6 billion state education budget. That is less than one penny of every education dollar. While the private sector is contributing its resources and expertise to our schools, the demand for computer technology continues to grow.

Incorporating technology as an essential component of our schools' curricula is crucial if we are going to close the gap of the digital divide. By allocating more than 1 cent per education dollar to technology, we will make great strides in ensuring that our schools have updated computer services and proper teacher training.

Assemblywoman Kerry Mazzoni, D-San Rafael, is chair of the Assembly Education Committee.