TOMÁS RIVERA POLICY INSTITUTE PICKS TOP 25 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS THROUGH NATIONWIDE SEARCH

Claremont, Calif., Oct. 6, 2000 - An information technology research initiative by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) has identified 25 exemplary programs that speeds low-income, underserved children and adults on the fast lane of the technological highway.

The Digital Steppingstones (DSS) initiative sheds light on exemplary practical uses of technology in diverse learning environments.

"While schools are prominent venues for promoting computer skills, other community access points, such as libraries and community centers are vital to provide sustained exposure to computers and online resources, for adults as well as children," said TRPI President, Dr. Harry Pachon.

The deployment of information and communication technologies in K-12 schools across the United States has become a major policy push at the federal, state and local levels, he said. Computers and the Internet are viewed as critical tools to enable children to perform at a higher level in the core competencies as well as to achieve the digital literacy they need to be full participants in the information age, Pachon added.

Representatives from the 25 exemplary programs will be recognized at a national conference in Washington, DC on Thursday, Nov. 16, called "Digital Steppingstones: Smart Strategies for Underserved Communities in the Information Age."

The goal of the conference is to bring together national, state and local policy makers to learn about the impact of information and communications technologies on low income and minority communities, the status of the digital divide, and policy and practical strategies for bridging this gap.

The national conference will be followed by workshops in each city in the DSS study to provide practical experience to interested parties on how to replicate exemplary programs more broadly.

This initiative is unfolding in three phases. The first phase involved building consensus around agreed-upon characteristics of successful technology programs. After roundtables were conducted in the major cities, a list of potential model programs were developed based on preliminary site visits to the communities under study as well as a nominations process. Based on the analysis of these nominees, TRPI selected sites for further evaluation and finally, identified the top 25 programs.

The 25 exemplary programs being honored at the national conference include:

Brooklyn Library - Get Smart Get Connected, Brooklyn, NY
Chicago Library - Cyber Navigator and Computer Connection, Chicago, IL
CyberHood Community Computing Center, Los Angeles, CA
Eastside Cybrary Connection, Riverside, CA
Elizabeth Learning Center, Cudahy, CA
Erie Neighborhood House, Chicago, IL
Foshay Learning Center, Los Angeles, CA
Frederick Douglass Literacy Center, Brooklyn, NY
Harambee Center, Pasadena, CA
Hayes Family Investment, Chicago, IL
Hogg Middle School, Houston, TX
HomeBase8, Bronx, NY
Jordan High School, Los Angeles, CA 
Kelly High School, Chicago, IL
Miami-Metro Weed and Seed, Miami, FL
Miami Museum of Science, Miami, FL
Northbrook Middle School, Houston, TX
Orozco Academy, Chicago, IL
Playing 2 Win, New York, NY
Queens Library - WorldLinQ, Jamaica, NY
Riviera Middle School, Miami, FL
San Miguel Middle School, Chicago, IL
Spring Branch ISD, Houston, TX
Street Level Youth Media, Chicago, IL
Town Park Neighborhood Network Center, Miami, FL

Founded in 1985, the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute was established as a non-profit organization to conduct and disseminate objective, policy-relevant research and its implications to decision makers on key issues affecting Latino communities. Under Pachon's guidance, TRPI has evolved into the country's premiere research institute garnering national recognition for its work in the fields of education, immigration policy, information technology and civic and social research. Dr. Pachon guides the policy research agenda to assure that the Institute's work has direct impact on policies affecting U.S. Latinos. In the 15 years of its existence, TRPI has attained a reputation as the nation's premier think tank on Latino issues.

The Institute's Digital Steppingstones initiative is funded through a three-year, $1 million grant awarded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to "help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." Its programming activities center around the common visions of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community, and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and healthy communities.

To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific focal points or areas. These include: health, food systems and rural development; youth and education, and higher education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. When woven throughout these areas, funding also is provided for leadership; information systems/technology; efforts to capitalize on diversity; and family, neighborhood, and community development programming. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean and southern Africa.

For more information on the conference, please call the TRPI or visit the website.