While most public schools have at least adequate computer technology, and teachers are learning how to incorporate online technology into their curriculum, the nation's poorest schools continue to suffer. Schools with high percentages of students at risk for academic failure likewise have few if any tech resources and few qualified teachers, according to a new Department of Education report.

The new "Study of Education Resources and Federal Funding: Final Report" shows that the nation's poorest schools received a majority of federal education funds, but as of the end of 1998 still suffered from a lack of qualified teachers and few resources.

The study closely examined support programs for Title 1 schools -- those with higher populations of "students at risk of educational failure-particularly in schools with large concentrations of low-income children," according to Education Department information -- and found that one of the most disturbing factors was that many classes were being taught by aides, the Washington Post reports.

The majority of these teacher's aides had high school diplomas or an equivalent. The bad news, however, is that fewer than 20 percent had a college degree -- while 41 percent of aides reporting that they instruct students on their own, without a teacher present. In the nation's poorest schools, the number of aides with colleges degrees dropped to only 10 percent.

In terms of technology resources, the nation's poorest schools still were on the wrong side of the digital divide at the end of 1998, with few of them reporting up-to-date computer systems with reliable Internet connections, the Post reports.

The Title I program -- the largest federal education program -- distributes $8 billion annually to these schools, with the bulk of funds going to primary grades.

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