Monday, February 24, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Not On The Same Home Page

Many parents don't take advantage of free computer offer

Photos by Clint Karlsen. Technology Integration Specialist Jesus Diaz tutors Bertha Saaverda, lower left, Marisala Murillo and Isabel Perez on the computers offered free to students at Cahlan Elementary School. Geneva Houston, grandmother of a Cahlan Elementary School student, takes home a free computer after completing the training requirement. About 222 computers have been checked out by Cahlan parents. Marisala Murillo carts out a computer Wednesday morning from a classroom at Cahlan Elementary School.

The offer of free computers wasn't enough to entice all the parents at Edison Schools-managed sites to invest the six hours in training that would allow them to take one home.

At West Middle School, only 253 parents out of an eligible 1,100 completed the three training sessions that qualified them for a computer. West, which has been under Edison supervision since 2001, signed out the computers in December.

"I am disappointed," West Principal Karen Williams said. "I was hoping more people would take advantage of the offer. Edison has a heavy emphasis on technology and this was one of the benefits of being at an Edison partnership school."

Edison Schools Inc. is the nation's largest for-profit manager of public schools and manages seven Clark County School District sites. This is the second year of the company's five-year contract with the district. Part of the appeal of signing on with Edison was the promise of take-home computers for students in grades three and above.

The IBM desktop computers now being distributed provide free e-mail services to parents and students, who also will have access to school and Edison education sites. The machines do not offer universal access to the Internet. The computer stays with the family as long as they have a student in an Edison school.

In addition to West, Edison manages Cahlan, Crestwood, Lincoln, Lynch, Park and Ronnow elementary schools.

Williams said that West publicized the computer giveaway widely in fliers and take-home bulletins. The training classes were offered during mornings, afternoons and evenings to accommodate all working schedules. She's not sure what else could have been done to increase parent participation. West serves an area where the population is largely black and low-income.

"We can provide the opportunities," Williams said, "but we can't make people take them."

The elementary schools are now are in the middle of distributing computers to parents who've completed the training courses. Last week at Cahlan Elementary School in North Las Vegas, computer technicians organized parents into groups of six so that they could assign e-mail accounts and demonstrate how to set them up.

"My daughter really likes computers," said Angie Hall, whose daughter is a third-grader at Cahlan. "I'm hoping this helps her with her homework. She needs help with that."

Hall said taking the three classes was a small price to pay in exchange for a computer. Geneva Houston, whose grandchildren attend Cahlan, felt the same way.

"It was a good chance to brush up on my typing," Houston said of the classes.

About 222 computers have been signed out by Cahlan parents, which represents about two-thirds of the eligible families, said Principal Jean Jackson. Like West, Cahlan serves a challenged population that is in a low-income area. The majority enrollment is Hispanic.

"We're hoping we get an even better turnout next fall," said Jackson, who has been using her own car to deliver computers to parents who don't have transportation. "This is a new program, so it's been met with a little skepticism. Parents see that we're offering free computers but some of them don't really believe it. They keep asking, "How much?' "

According to Laverne White, the Edison administrator who oversees the company's sites in Clark County, parents from all seven district schools have received computers. White said that at Ronnow, 120 computers have gone out to student homes. At Park, 110 computers have been sent out. Lynch, Lincoln and Crestwood also are now distributing the computers.

White said that the six hours of training that was made a prerequisite for receiving the machines was to ensure that the family could maximize use of the computer.

As a company, Edison has struggled financially in the past year with plunging stock prices and the loss of contracts with schools in a number of states. Earlier this month, the company announced that things were improving. Edison's second-quarter loss narrowed as the company focused on reducing debt. Edison also now forecasts a profit by the end of the fiscal year.

"It doesn't matter if you like Edison or hate them," Jackson said. "They delivered. Who else is giving away free computers? I don't care how you feel about the company, they kept the promise they made to us."