Divided We Fall: The Federal Government Confronts the Digital Divide

Abstract

For several decades, education has assumed a vital role in this country's economic, social, and political development, catapulting less advantaged citizens into higher social classes and the political process. A testament to education's fundamental importance in our society are the numerous programs designed during the 1960s to eliminate the barriers to higher education that low-income individuals encounter. However, the last few decades have witnessed a slow erosion of many of those programs. As financial aid legislation is increasingly targeted to middle- and upper-class individuals, low-income students' educational opportunities are being threatened. This research examines the potential consequences for higher education access if the U.S. Department of Education continues to move forward with its technology plan for financial aid delivery. More specifically, it explores how the transition of Federal Student Aid (formerly Student Financial Assistance) toward a Web-based financial aid application process will affect college applicants--particularly low-income students who often lack access to technology. Using a national data set of financial aid applicants, discriminant analyses (several stepwise) are conducted on selected demographic variables to ascertain the potential impact of this migration. (Contains 4 tables.)