Urban Dreams, in collaboration with the Marcus A. Foster Institute, has recently ended the second year of the Earn A Computer program. The program provided refurbished computers to approximately 300 families of students attending one of the district’s six high schools or three alternative schools. Before receiving a computer, a parent or legal guardian of the student must first attend a computer training session (thus the name Earn A Computer). These training sessions provide basic instructions of computer usage along with an overview of the NewDeal software that is also included.

In December of 2001, the Center for Evaluation and Research (CER) conducted a phone survey of the second cohort of families receiving computers. The survey consisted of twelve questions that were developed by the evaluators, Urban Dreams staff, and a representative of the Marcus A. Foster Institute. CER staff randomly attempted to contact 225 of the 300 families who were identified by the project staff as having received a computer from February through August of 2001. The interviews were held in English and Spanish. Graph 1 provides an overview of the results of 225 attempts to contact families:

There were 225 people called during a two-week period from December 10^th to December 22^nd of 2001. Out of that total there were 60 who took the survey, 87 did not answer at all or the phone was picked up by an answering machine. Twenty-seven had their number disconnected, another 28 were not available, and 23 others did not come to the phone for various reasons.

The following are the results of the twelve questions posed to the sixty respondents.

The respondent’s children are the exclusive users of 56% of the computers that were distributed. One or more parents or guardians use the machines with the entire family in 34% of the households. Other family members that were using the computers included: grandparents, aunts and uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. Only 10 percent of the computers are not being utilized by anyone in the family.

Up to 82% percent of the computers were being used by at least one family member for homework. Only eight percent of the computers were utilized exclusively for games. One out of ten of the computers are not being utilized for various reasons.

The computers provided by the project did not have modems and were therefore unable to access the Internet. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of the computers were not hooked up to the Internet at the time of the interviews. The most common reason for not being connected to the Internet, besides not having a modem, was the added expense of the Internet service itself. Interestingly, 13% of the computer owners had acquired modems and Internet access. Of the eight respondents who stated that their computers are now Internet accessible, seven utilized the Internet for class projects and homework research, six used them for college research and three used the computers to look up employment information.

The training received by over 80% of the parents was sufficient to enable them to use their computers. Twelve percent said they had prior computer experience or knowledge before attending the training. Only 5% of the respondents felt that the training failed to provide them with the prerequisite skills to use their computers. Two percent of the respondents felt they needed more than the one training session. One Urban Dreams mother did not agree with the distribution format saying, "I think the training should be where you go to it and then [you] take your computer home."

The survey indicated that 70% of the respondents knew they were using, and were familiar with, the NewDeal software. Twenty-seven percent of those questioned did not know what NewDeal was. Those respondents either did not recognize the name of the software or did not use the computer. Three percent had compatibility issues with the NewDeal software and switched to Microsoft Office.

The word processing program (Writer) and games were the most widely used software programs. NewFile is being used by nearly two-thirds of the NewDeal software users. The other six software and educational programs are almost equally used. Eight parents indicated that someone in their family utilizes every software program that was installed on their computer. One parent suggested that additional educational software should be installed. She suggested an English (spelling) program and a foreign language program as two possibilities.

(*These numbers represent the amount of New Deal users (42) that use that certain program.)

Sixty percent of the computer recipients have either not bought, or do not plan on buying, another personal computer (PC). Respondents indicated that financial reasons were the main factor another computer would not be purchased. Twelve percent plan to purchase a new computer within a 90-day time period. Thirteen percent have purchased a new PC while 15% revealed they already had one or more additional computers in their home.

Almost 80% of the parents or guardians have seen a positive change in their child’s achievement level as a result of using the computer for schoolwork. Respondents credited this to their child’s ability to use a word processor for assignments. One parent stated that his son did not need to use the library’s computer anymore to do his homework. Another parent indicated that the lack of a printer had been an obstruction that hindered his child’s school achievement.

While a majority of the parents or guardians saw an improvement in their child’s academic achievement, most felt that their interaction with their child did not change as a result of owning a computer. As an aside, one mother did comment that she "would rather have them [my children] on a computer than watching TV."

Only thirteen percent of the families contacted their teachers through e-mail. This is not surprising given only 13% of the families had Internet accessibility. Of those families that an Internet connection, 100% had used there computers at least once to contact their teacher through e-mail.

The survey indicated that 18% of the parents or guardians had other contact with the school as a result of owning a computer. Types of contact included visiting school web pages, administration web pages, and doing school research. Some parents had follow-up contact with the schools regarding hardware or compatibility issues. One mother indicated that she was a member of a school’s on-site management team.

Over half of the recipients reported no problems with their refurbished computer. Seventeen percent of the recipients said that the lack of a printer or modem was a major concern. One mother who tried to purchase a printer said, "It [the computer] didn’t really work. The printers for that old of a computer aren’t really available. There was also no modem for the Internet."

Twelve percent of the parents and guardians had configuration problems after they took home their computer. Comments given to the interviewer generally indicated that the problems were caused by human error. One parent did call attention to the lack of technical support by saying, "It was working [their computer] and now it doesn’t work. The kids did something. We need somebody to call if we have problems with the computer. Once we get it home and we need help there is nobody."

Seven percent of the families had compatibility difficulties with the NewDeal software and the software used at their respective schools. One respondent had this comment regarding her daughters problem, "The software was not compatible with the schools printers so she could not print out her homework. She now only uses it for the games."

Seventy percent of the families that received a computer thought that the Earn A Computer program was a good program and were satisfied with the PC they took home. Eleven percent were satisfied, but voiced a concern over one or more of the programs components. Areas that were mentionioned include: a) no printer; b) no modem; c) no CD-ROM; d) non-upgradable components; e) slow speed; f) lack of educational software; g) insufficient support for the technology and, h) insufficient training. Overall, 81% of the computer recipients were appreciative and believed the Earn A Computer program is valuable. Only 7% were not satisfied with the program.

Generally, comments were positive. One Oakland mother stated, "I felt the goal of the program was to help the children with their schoolwork so they would do better at school. For this reason, I think it’s a good program." Another grandmother had this to say about the computer her family received, "It has made a big difference around here. I have a house full of kids and it’s very, very, useful. I have custody of six of my grandkids and I am very thankful that we have it."

Some Urban Dreams parents voiced their frustrations over the quality of the refurbished computers. One Urban Dreams mother observed, "We are trying to cross the digital divide. So why would we receive a computer that you can’t hook up to the Internet?" Another stated, "We threw it out. What good was it if it wouldn’t do anything?"

A representative cross-section of participants in the Urban Dreams Earn A Computer Program was contacted in order to evaluate the successes and limitations the program encountered during its second year. By an overwhelming majority, the Urban Dreams parents expressed positive comments that articulated the benefits of the program and are very appreciative of its existence. However, there were concerns regarding several components of the program that were repeatedly voiced during the course of the telephone surveys.

The Urban Dreams recipients indicated that most of their computers lacked some of the technology needed for it to be a helpful part of their daily lives. The computers lacked the necessary modem needed for attaining Internet access. A CD-ROM was not included with all the refurbished computers. Printers were also not included with the computers. Consequently, documents created with NewDeal software could not be easily printed at home or at the children’s school. Project computer systems should include a CD-ROM, modem and computer. Information about affordable Internet access should also be included.

To insure compatibility, the NewDeal software should be installed on every school computer that is hooked up to a printer. Mainly due to financial considerations, 60% of the recipients have no immediate plans on purchasing a new computer. Therefore, the refurbished computers they receive should not be regarded as a temporary measure. While the basic computer training classes received a very positive response, technical support should also be made available after the computer is taken inside the home. The project should review the barriers identified by the respondents and develop plans to address these barriers.

© Copyright 2002 Center for Evaluation and Research, LL