NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Statistical Analysis Report February 2001

Advanced Telecommunications

in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99

Basmat Parsad

Rebecca Skinner

Elizabeth Farris

Westat

Shelley Burns

Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 2001-037
U.S. Department of Education

Richard W. Riley

Secretary

Office of Educational Research and Improvement

C. Kent McGuire

Assistant Secretary

National Center for Education Statistics

Gary W. Phillips

Acting Commissioner

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Suggested Citation

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Advanced Telecommunications in

U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99, NCES 2001-037, by Basmat Parsad, Rebecca Skinner, and Libby Farris.

Project Officer: Shelley Burns. Washington, DC: 2001.

For ordering information on this report, write

U.S. Department of Education

ED Pubs

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Jessup, MD 20794-1398

or by calling toll free 1-877-4ED-Pubs.

Content Contact:

Shelley Burns

(202) 502-7319
iii

Executive Summary

Background

Throughout the past decade, there have been a

number of federal, state, and private initiatives

to expand computer and Internet use in schools.

These initiatives have been rooted in the national

technology goals to make computers accessible

to every student, connect every classroom to the

Internet, integrate educational software into the

curriculum, and train teachers to integrate

technology into the classroom (U.S. Department

of Education 1998a). In 1994, the National

Center for Education Statistics (NCES) launched

a series of annual surveys to track changes in the

availability of computers and Internet access in

public schools.

In fall 1995, NCES also conducted a survey of

advanced telecommunications in private schools

to provide baseline data on computer and

Internet availability, and allow for comparisons

with public schools (U.S. Department of

Education 1997a). To revisit the issue of

computer and Internet availability in private

schools and measure changes since 1995, NCES,

through its Fast Response Survey System

(FRSS), administered a second nationally representative survey of advanced telecommunications in private schools during the 1998-99

school year.

Specifically, the 1998-99 survey focused on (1)

computer and Internet availability, including the

extent to which those resources were available

for instruction; (2) selected issues in the use of

computers and the Internet, including

instructional use of those resources, provision of

teacher training, technical support for advanced

telecommunications use, and barriers to the

acquisition and use of advanced telecommunications; and (3) the E-rate program and other

external support for advanced telecommunications in schools.

Key Findings

Computer and Internet Availability

Making available sufficient and adequate

hardware is a critical first step toward ensuring

student access to computers. In the 1998-99

school year, private schools reported six students

per computer, a lower level of availability than

recommended by some technology experts—

four to five students per computer (President’s

Committee of Advisors on Science and

Technology 1997). Considering computer and

Internet availability for instructional purposes,

there were 8 students per instructional computer

and 15 students per Internet-connected

instructional computer in private schools.

Private schools have made considerable strides

in computer and Internet availability since 1995.

For example:

 The number of students per computer

(including computers used for administrative

purposes) was six in the 1998-99 school

year compared to nine students in fall 1995.

 The proportion of private schools connected

to the Internet increased from 25 percent in

1995 to 67 percent in 1998-99. An

additional 13 percent of private schools

indicated they had plans for Internet

connection by the end of 2000; if these plans

are realized, then about 80 percent of all

private schools are currently connected or

will have Internet connections by the end of

2000. However, 19 percent of private

schools reported not being connected to the

Internet and having no plans to do so.
iv

School-level access to the Internet does not

reflect the extent to which that resource might be

available for instruction. Therefore, private

schools also reported on the number of

instructional rooms with Internet connections,

types of connection, and the extent to which the

World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic mail

(e-mail) were available to various members of

the school community. Findings from the 1998-

99 survey indicate the following:

 Twenty-five percent of all instructional

rooms in private schools were connected to

the Internet in the 1998-99 school year,

compared with 5 percent in fall 1995.

 Although dial-up connections were the most

common means of connecting to the Internet

in 1998-99 (65 percent of private schools

with Internet access reported using this

connection), private schools have increased

the availability of higher speed connections

using dedicated lines.

 About two-thirds of private schools reported

having e-mail or WWW availability.

However, e-mail was more likely to be

available to administrators than teachers and

least likely to be available to students.

Comparisons on the availability and use of

computers and the Internet were focused mainly

on differences by religious affiliation and

instructional level of the school. The results of

the 1998-99 survey indicate the following:

 Nonsectarian schools had fewer students

(six) per instructional computer than

Catholic (eight) or other religious schools

(nine). While Catholic schools were more

likely than nonsectarian or other religious

schools to be connected to the Internet and

to report having e-mail and WWW

availability, nonsectarian schools reported a

higher proportion of instructional rooms

with Internet access.

 Secondary schools were more likely than

elementary or combined schools to be

connected to the Internet and to report the

availability of high-speed connections using

dedicated lines. They were also more likely

to report e-mail and WWW availability to

students. Moreover, the ratio of students per

instructional computer with Internet access

was lower at secondary and combined

schools than elementary schools.

Use of Advanced

Telecommunications and

School Support

Issues in advanced telecommunications that

have become increasingly important within

recent years relate to whether teachers and

students are making use of available advanced

telecommunications, and the extent to which

schools have support mechanisms in place to

encourage effective use of those resources. The

results of the 1998-99 survey indicate the

following:

 Forty-five percent of all private school

teachers in the 1998-99 school year

regularly used computers and/or advanced

telecommunications for teaching.

 Among private schools with Internet access,

virtually all reported some use of e-mail and

the WWW by students, teachers, and

administrative staff. However, relatively

fewer schools reported that these Internet

capabilities were used to a large extent; for

example, 31 percent reported that students

used the WWW to a large extent and 24

percent indicated that teachers used the

resource to a large extent.

To explore the issue of school support for

computer and Internet use, the survey asked

whether schools (1) offered or participated in

various advanced telecommunications training

for teachers, (2) used various approaches to

encourage teacher participation in technology

training, and (3) provided technical support for

advanced telecommunications use. The 1998-99

survey data indicate the following:
v

 Sixty-four percent of private schools offered

or participated in some type of advanced

telecommunications training for teachers,

with the most common type of training

being in the use of computers. About half of

the schools offered or participated in

training on the integration of technology in

the classroom, and 43 percent provided

training on the use of the Internet.

 Of the schools that offered or participated in

some type of training, 55 percent left it up to

teachers to initiate the training, while fewer

schools either mandated (16 percent) or

actively encouraged teachers through

incentives (22 percent) to participate in

technology training.

 Most private schools (80 percent) indicated

that one or more individuals were primarily

responsible for supporting advanced

telecommunications in the school. Of these

schools, 41 percent indicated that the

technology coordinator or other technical

staff helped teachers to integrate technology

into the curriculum to a large or moderate

extent, and 42 percent reported that network

technical support was provided to a large or

moderate extent.

E-rate and Other Support for

Advanced Telecommunications in

Schools

Expanding the use of advanced telecommunications comes with high costs, and private and

public schools often have to rely on a range of

support (including federal and private sources)

to address their technology needs. Therefore,

schools were asked about the support for

advanced telecommunications from various

sources during the 1998-99 school year.

 Private schools indicated that several

sources supported advanced telecommunications in the school, including various

federal programs (ranging from 2 to 15

percent) and business or industry (22

percent).

 The most frequently cited source of support

was parents or other community members

(57 percent), although the survey did not

collect data on the extent of such support.

Relatively few private schools (13 percent)

reported support for advanced telecommunications from the E-rate (Education rate)

program.

The Schools and Libraries Universal Service

Fund, better known as the E-rate program, is

designed to make telecommunications services

more affordable to all eligible schools and

libraries. The program provides discounts

(ranging from 20 to 90 percent) that can be used

for internal connections, telecommunications

services, and Internet access (U.S. Department

of Education 1999b). The 1998-99 survey

findings indicate the following:

 About one-fourth (24 percent) of all private

schools applied for the 1998 E-rate discount

program. Catholic schools were more likely

than other religious and nonsectarian

schools to apply for the discount; elementary

and secondary schools were more likely to

apply than combined schools; and schools

with Internet access were more likely than

those without access to submit 1998 E-rate

applications.

 When asked if they intended to apply or had

already applied for the 1999-2000 E-rate

discount program, 39 percent of all private

schools indicated that they did, while 57

percent reported that they would not apply.

Selected Comparisons with Public

Schools

Some of the gains made by private schools since

1995 have been comparable to those made by

public schools. For example, the percentage

point increase in private schools with Internet
vi

access between fall 1995 and the 1998-99 school

year (42 percentage points) is comparable to

increases for public schools (39 percentage

points) during this period. Nevertheless, in the

1998-99 school year, private schools continue to

be outpaced by public schools on some

important indicators of the availability of

advanced telecommunications—ratio of students

to instructional computer, the proportion of

Internet-connected schools, the proportion of

instructional rooms with Internet access, and

types of Internet connection. For example:

 Compared with public schools, private

schools reported more students per

instructional computer (8 versus 6), and

more students per instructional computer

with Internet access (15 versus 12 students).

 Private schools (67 percent) were

considerably less likely than public schools

(89 percent) to be connected to the Internet,

and they also reported proportionately fewer

instructional rooms with Internet access (25

versus 51 percent).

 Private schools were less likely than public

schools to report higher speed Internet

connections; for example, 21 percent of

private schools compared with 65 percent of

public schools were connected to the

Internet using dedicated lines.
vii

Table of Contents

Section Page

Executive Summary................................................................................................................. iii

1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 1

2. Computer and Internet Availability ......................................................................................... 5

Availability of Computers........................................................................................................ 5

Types of Advanced Telecommunications................................................................................ 7

Internet Availability................................................................................................................. 7

3. Use of Advanced Telecommunications, School Support, and Barriers................................... 17

Instructional Use of Advanced Telecommunications .............................................................. 17

Extent of Use of Internet Resources and Capabilities.............................................................. 18

Technology-Related Teacher Training .................................................................................... 19

Technical Support.................................................................................................................... 23

Barriers to Acquisition/Usage of Advanced Telecommunications.......................................... 28

4. E-Rate and Other Support for Advanced Telecommunications in Schools............................. 29

Sources and Types of Support ................................................................................................. 29

E-rate Participation .................................................................................................................. 30

5. Selected Comparisons With Public Schools ............................................................................ 37

Prevalence of Computers ......................................................................................................... 37

Internet Access in Schools....................................................................................................... 37

Internet Access in Instructional Rooms ................................................................................... 39

Connections to the Internet ...................................................................................................... 40

Availability of the World Wide Web....................................................................................... 40

Extent of Use of the World Wide Web and E-mail ................................................................. 41

6. Summary and Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 43

References................................................................................................................................ 47

List of Appendices

A: Survey Methodology and Data Reliability............................................................................... A-1

B: Detailed Tables ........................................................................................................................ B-1

C: Survey Questionnaire............................................................................................................... C-1
viii

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Text Tables

Text Table Page

1 Public and private elementary and secondary enrollment and schools, by selected

characteristics: Fall 1997 ........................................................................................................ 2

2 Percent of private schools in which selected types of advanced telecommunications

equipment are available, and of these schools, percent in which equipment is also

available in at least one classroom, by type of equipment: Fall 1995 and school

year 1998-99 ............................................................................................................................ 7

3 Among private schools with Internet access, percentage distribution of schools indicating

the number of instructional rooms with Internet access, by selected school characteristics:

School year 1998-99 ................................................................................................................ 12

4 Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools reporting various types of

Internet connection: fall 1995 and School year 1998-99 ........................................................ 13

5 Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools reporting various types of

Internet connection, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ....................... 13

6 Percent of schools indicating that e-mail was available in the school and to members of the

school community, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99......................... 15

7 Percent of schools indicating that the World Wide Web was available in the school and to

members of the school community, by selected school characteristics: School year

1998-99 .................................................................................................................................... 15

8 Among private schools with Internet access and e-mail availability, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of e-mail use for various members of the

school community, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99......................... 19

9 Among private schools with Internet access and World Wide Web availability, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of World Wide Web use for various members

of the school community, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99 .............. 20

10 Percent of private schools offering or participating in advanced telecommunications

training for teachers, by type of training and selected school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ............................................................................................................................ 21

11 Among private schools that offered or participated in advanced telecommunications

training for teachers, percent of schools using various methods of encouragement for

teacher training, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ............................. 22
ix

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Text Tables (continued)

Text Table Page

12 Among private schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications, percent of schools indicating various numbers of individuals

providing support, by level of support and selected school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ............................................................................................................................ 24

13 Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced telecommunications that may help teachers integrate technology into the curriculum, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of support, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ............................................................................................................................ 25

14 Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced telecommunications that may provide network support, percentage distribution of schools indicating

the extent of support, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................... 26

15 Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced telecommunications that may involve students in the maintenance of telecommunications systems,

percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of involvement, by selected school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ....................................................................................... 27

16 Percentage distribution of private schools reporting the extent to which various factors

were barriers to either the acquisition or use of computers/advanced telecommunications:

School year 1998-99 ................................................................................................................ 28

17 Percent of private schools indicating the various programs, organizations, or individuals

that support advanced telecommunications in the school: School year 1998-99.................... 31

18 Percent of private schools indicating the various types of support for advanced

telecommunications in the school, by selected school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ............................................................................................................................ 31

19 Percent of private schools that did not apply for the 1998 E-rate discount program, and

percent giving various reasons for not applying, by selected school characteristics:

School year 1998-99 ................................................................................................................ 33

20 Percentage distribution of private schools indicating their decision to apply or not apply

for the 1999-2000 E-rate discount program, by selected school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ............................................................................................................................ 35
x

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Figures

Figure Page

1 Percentage distribution of private schools, by religious affiliation: 1997-98 ......................... 4

2 Percentage distribution of private school students, by religious affiliation: 1997-98............. 4

3 Ratio of private school students to instructional computers, by selected school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ...................................................................................... 6

4 Percentage distribution of private schools with Internet access and future plans for

access: School year 1998-99................................................................................................... 8

5 Percent of private schools with Internet access, by selected school characteristics:

School year 1998-99 ................................................................................................................ 8

6 Among private schools with Internet access, the mean number of instructional computers

with Internet access, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ...................... 10

7 Ratio of private school students to instructional computers with Internet access in private

schools, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99 .......................................... 10

8 Percent of private school instructional rooms with Internet access, by selected school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ...................................................................................... 11

9 Percent of private school teachers who regularly use computers/advanced telecommunications for teaching as reported by private schools, by selected school characteristics:

School year 1998-99 ................................................................................................................ 18

10 Percentage distribution of private schools indicating the various individuals primarily

responsible for supporting advanced telecommunications in the school: School year

1998-99 .................................................................................................................................... 23

11 Percent of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program, by selected

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................................... 32

12 Among private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program, percent

reporting various discounts for which they were eligible: School year 1998-99..................... 34

13 Ratio of students to instructional computer and ratio of students to instructional computer

with Internet access, by school sector: Fall 1998 and school year 1998-99 ............................ 38

14 Percent of schools with Internet access, by school sector: Fall 1994 to school year

1998-99 .................................................................................................................................... 38
xi

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Figures (continued)

Figure Page

15 Percent of instructional rooms with Internet access, by school sector: Fall 1994 to

school year 1998-99................................................................................................................. 39

16 Percent of schools with Internet access, by type of Internet connection and school sector:

Fall 1998 and school year 1998-99.......................................................................................... 40

17 Among schools with Internet access, percent reporting that the World Wide Web was

available to students, by school sector: Fall 1995 to school year 1998-99 .............................. 41

18 Among schools with Internet access, percent reporting that the World Wide Web was

available to teachers, by school sector: Fall 1995 to school year 1998-99 .............................. 42

19 Percent of schools with Internet access reporting that teachers and students used the

World Wide Web (WWW) and e-mail to a large extent, by school sector: Fall 1998

and school year 1998-99 .......................................................................................................... 42
xii
1

1. INTRODUCTION

Expanding the use of advanced

telecommunications in schools has become a

major focus of education policy in recent years.1

In his 1996 State of the Union Address,

President Clinton set forth four goals for using

technology in education: making computers

accessible to every student, connecting every

classroom to the Internet, integrating educational

software into the curriculum, and training

teachers to integrate technology into the

classroom (U.S. Department of Education

1998a). Throughout the past decade, there have

been a number of federal initiatives to expand

computer and Internet use in schools, which

have been rooted in these national technology

goals (e.g., the Technology Literacy Challenge

Fund (TLCF) and the E-rate discount program).

Although the efficacy of advanced

telecommunications and technology in education

has had its critics (see Kirkpatrick and Cuban

1998 for a list of studies), these technologies

have been promoted as powerful instructional

tools for encouraging the development of basic

and higher order thinking skills (U.S.

Department of Education 1996c).

Over the past decade, there have been many

policy initiatives and research studies on

advanced telecommunications. In 1994, the

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

launched a series of annual surveys to track the

increase of computers and Internet access in

public schools. The surveys indicated that the

proportion of public schools with Internet access

increased from 35 percent in 1994 to 95 percent

in 1999 (U.S. Department of Education 2000c).

In fall 1995, NCES also conducted a survey of

advanced telecommunications in private schools

through its Fast Response Survey System

(FRSS), a system designed to collect small

amounts of policy-relevant data from

 

1

 Advanced telecommunications, while including the Internet,

refers to all modes of communication used to transmit

information from one place to another, including networked

computers and broadcast and interactive television. In this

report, the focus is on computers and the Internet.

respondents with minimum burden. The 1995

FRSS survey provided information on computer

and Internet availability, and allowed for

comparisons with public schools (U.S.

Department of Education 1997a, 1997b). The

current survey, another FRSS survey conducted

during the 1998-99 school year, revisited the

issue of advanced telecommunications in private

schools and measured changes since 1995. It

addressed such key issues as computer and

Internet availability, instructional use of

advanced telecommunications and school

support, and external support for advanced

telecommunications (e.g., federal and private

initiatives).

In 1997-98, there were about 27,000 private

schools in the United States, which enrolled

approximately 5 million students (table 1; U.S.

Department of Education 1999a, 2000f). Private

schools constituted 24 percent of the nation’s

elementary and secondary schools and 10

percent of its students.

Private schools share many characteristics that

differentiate them from public schools and also

vary considerably among themselves. For

instance, compared with public schools, private

schools are more likely to be combined schools;

30 percent of private schools and 4 percent of

public schools were combined schools in fall

1997 (table 1; U.S. Department of Education

1999a, 2000f).2

 Moreover, private schools tend

to have smaller enrollments. For example, 14

percent of private schools compared with 44

percent of public schools reported enrollments

of 750 or more in fall 1997.

 

2

 Combined schools are defined as having grades higher than the

8th and lower than the 7th. They include schools composed of

students in any grade in schools that range below grade 7 and

above grade 8, or of students that are all in ungraded classes.
2

Table 1.—Public and private elementary and secondary enrollment and schools, by selected

characteristics: Fall 1997

Private schools

School characteristic Public schools

Total

Percent

distribution Catholic Other religious Nonsectarian

Kindergarten to 12th grade enrollment

Total..................................... 46,012,123 100.0 5,076,119 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Level of school

Elementary ............................... 30,012,655 65.2 2,824,844 55.6 72.9 41.4 32.7

Secondary................................. 14,753,581 32.1 798,339 15.7 24.1 6.4 10.0

Combined ................................. 1,166,221 2.5 1,452,937 28.6 3.0 52.2 57.3

Other......................................... 79,666 0.2

School enrollment

Less than 150............................ 917,251 2.0 918,907 18.1 6.2 29.2 31.1

150 to 299................................. 3,179,037 6.9 1,439,334 28.4 31.3 27.5 20.9

300-499 .................................... 9,222,344 20.0 1,197,240 23.6 28.5 19.3 17.6

500 to 749................................. 12,538,998 27.3 800,437 15.8 19.3 11.3 14.6

750 or more .............................. 20,154,493 43.8 720,201 14.2 14.7 12.8 15.8

Percent minority students

None......................................... ΗΗ ΗΗ 316,873 6.2 2.4 13.2 3.0

1 to 9 percent ............................ ΗΗ ΗΗ 2,320,589 45.7 50.2 45.1 32.8

10 to 29 percent ........................ ΗΗ ΗΗ 1,272,008 25.1 22.2 22.2 40.4

30 to 49 percent ........................ ΗΗ ΗΗ 396,478 7.8 7.7 7.0 9.8

50 percent or more.................... ΗΗ ΗΗ 770,170 15.2 17.5 12.4 13.9

Schools

Total..................................... 87,631 100.0 27,402 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Level of school

Elementary ............................... 62,739 71.6 16,623 60.7 83.1 51.8 49.7

Secondary................................. 21,112 24.1 2,487 9.1 13.7 5.3 11.1

Combined ................................. 3,120 3.6 8,292 30.3 3.2 43.0 39.2

Other......................................... 660 0.8

School enrollment

Less than 150............................ 12,787 14.6 15,573 56.8 19.4 71.5 75.5

150 to 299................................. 13,893 15.9 6,657 24.3 43.3 17.6 13.2

300 to 499................................. 23,080 26.3 3,124 11.4 22.8 6.8 6.1

500 to 749................................. 20,602 23.5 1,339 4.9 10.0 2.5 3.2

750 or more .............................. 17,269 19.7 711 2.6 4.5 1.7 2.0

Percent minority students

None......................................... ΗΗ ΗΗ 4,206 15.3 5.1 25.8 6.3

1 to 9 percent ............................ ΗΗ ΗΗ 9,752 35.6 48.0 33.3 23.8

10 to 29 percent ........................ ΗΗ ΗΗ 6,280 22.9 20.4 19.2 34.4

30 to 49 percent ........................ ΗΗ ΗΗ 2,279 8.3 7.3 6.8 13.0

50 percent or more.................... ΗΗ ΗΗ 4,886 17.8 19.2 14.8 22.5

ΗΗData not available.

NOTE: Private kindergarten to 12th grade enrollment includes only kindergarten pupils who attend schools that offer first or higher grade. Data for public

schools include kindergarten and prekindergarten enrollment when part of regular public school systems. Data for public schools exclude those not

reporting enrollment. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, “Private School Survey, 1997-98”; and Common Core of Data, Public

School Universe, 1997 survey. (This table was prepared in October 2000.)
3

Private schools differ among themselves by

affiliation, instructional level, and enrollment

size. In 1997-98, some 8,000 private schools

(30 percent) were Catholic, another 13,000 (or

48 percent) were affiliated with some other

religion, and 6,000 (or 22 percent) were

nonsectarian (figure 1; U.S. Department of

Education 1999a).3

 Catholic schools differ from

other private schools in several ways. On

average, they tend to have larger student

populations than other religious or nonsectarian

schools; for example, although Catholic schools

represented 30 percent of private schools in

1997-98, they enrolled 50 percent of the private

school student population (figure 2; U.S.

Department of Education 1999a, 2000f).

Catholic schools are also more likely than other

religious or nonsectarian schools to be

elementary. Moreover, Catholic schools are

more likely than other religious or nonsectarian

schools to enroll students of low socioeconomic

status, have lower tuition rates on average, and

have different institutional missions (U.S.

Department of Education 1996a).

Private schools share the challenges faced by

public schools that seek to expand their use of

computers and the Internet. Schools that are

committed to using computers and the Internet

as important instructional tools must first

address issues of the availability and

accessibility of those resources to students and

teachers. Moreover, some advocates for

advanced telecommunications argue that simply

putting sufficient computers in schools and

classrooms and connecting them to the Internet

will not realize the technologies’ potentials

unless certain systems, such as teacher training

in the use of technology in education and a

school environment that supports technology,

are in place (Milken Exchange on Educational

Technology 1999). Expanding advanced

telecommunications, however, comes with high

financial and human costs, and many schools

may have to rely on external sources of support

such as federal programs and private initiatives

to meet their technology needs.

 

3

 Detailed information on the distribution of private schools is

available in Private School Universe Survey, 1997-98, (1999).

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education

Statistics by S.P. Broughman and L.A. Colaciello.

This second FRSS study on advanced

telecommunications in private schools repeats

some of the questions asked in the 1995 study

(e.g., issues of computer and Internet

availability), but also examines new issues, such

as the extent to which schools provide support

for the use of these technologies. Specifically,

this survey focused on:

 Computer and Internet availability,

including the extent to which those

resources were available for instruction;

 Selected issues in the use of computers

and the Internet, including instructional

use of these resources, provision of

teacher training, technical support for

advanced telecommunications use, and

barriers to the acquisition and use of

advanced telecommunications; and

 The E-rate program and other external

support for advanced telecommunications

in schools.

The second national survey of private school

telecommunications will allow for national trend

analysis on the prevalence and use of computers

and the Internet in private schools since 1995.

Moreover, since many items parallel the items in

public school surveys of advanced

telecommunications and Internet access,

comparisons with public schools are possible.

In addition to national estimates, survey findings

are presented by the following characteristics of

private schools:

 Religious affiliation (Catholic, other

religious, nonsectarian),

 Instructional level (elementary, secondary, combined),

 Enrollment size (less than 150, 150 to

299, 300 or more),

 Locale (city, urban fringe, town, rural),

 Geographic region (Northeast, Southeast,

Central, West),
4

Figure 1.—Percentage distribution of private

schools, by religious affiliation:

1997-98

Figure 2.—Percentage distribution of private

school students, by religious

affiliation: 1997-98

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for

Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey, 1997-98.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for

Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey, 1997-98.

 Percent minority enrollment of the school

(less than 6 percent, 6 to 20 percent, 21 to

49 percent, 50 percent or more), and

 Whether Internet access was available in

schools.

All specific statements of comparisons made in

this report have been tested for statistical

significance through chi-square tests and t-tests

adjusted for multiple comparisons using the

Bonferroni adjustment, with significance at the

0.05 level. However, not all statistically

significant comparisons have been presented in

the text. Comparisons reported in the text were

generally focused on differences by religious

affiliation and instructional level. Where

pertinent, differences by enrollment size and

whether the school had Internet access were also

reported.

Questionnaires were mailed to principals of 999

private schools in February 1999, who

forwarded the survey to the person most

knowledgeable about advanced telecommunications in their school. Responses were received

from 87 percent of the schools. Detailed

information about the survey methodology is

provided in appendix A, while the questionnaire

can be found in appendix C.

The remaining chapters of this report present

findings from the 1998-99 private school survey

of advanced telecommunications. Chapter 2

provides a discussion of computer and Internet

availability in private schools, including Internet

availability in instructional rooms. Chapter 3

examines the use of computers and the Internet,

the provision of teacher training and technical

support for advanced telecommunications use,

and specific barriers to the acquisition and use of

advanced telecommunications. Chapter 4

examines the extent to which schools

participated in the E-rate program and other

federal and private initiatives for the expansion

of advanced telecommunications in schools.

Chapter 5 provides selected comparisons in

advanced telecommunications between private

and public schools, while Chapter 6, the final

chapter, discusses key findings from the study.

Other

religious

48.2%

Catholic

29.9%

Nonsectarian

22.0%

Other 

religious

34.8%

Nonsectarian

15.7%

Catholic

49.5%
5

2. COMPUTER AND INTERNET

AVAILABILITY

Highlights

 In the 1998-99 school year, the ratio of students per computer was 6 to 1, compared to 9 to 1 in fall 1995.

 Between 1995 and 1998-99, the proportion of private schools connected to the Internet increased from 25

percent to 67 percent, and the proportion of instructional rooms in private schools that were connected to

the Internet increased from 5 percent to 25 percent.

 While about two-thirds of private schools reported having electronic mail (e-mail) or World Wide Web

(WWW) availability, these Internet resources were less likely to be available to students than teachers or

administrators.

 Catholic schools were more likely than nonsectarian or other religious schools to be connected to the

Internet, and to report having e-mail and WWW availability. However, nonsectarian schools reported a

higher proportion of instructional rooms with Internet access than Catholic and other religious schools.

This chapter reports on the extent to which

computers and the Internet are available to

schools and their students. Making available

sufficient and adequate hardware is a critical

first step toward ensuring student access to

computers. Some technology experts suggest

that four to five students per computer is a

reasonable level to allow adequate access

(President’s Committee of Advisors on Science

and Technology 1997). To assess the extent to

which computers have been introduced in

private schools, the survey asked about the total

number of computers available in schools and

for instruction.

Similar to past research, several measures of

availability are used including measures based

on averages, ratios, the purpose for which the

resources are used, and location of the resources.

Where relevant, comparisons between fall 1995

and the 1998-99 school year have been made to

provide insights into changes in computer and

Internet availability in private schools.

Availability of Computers

School-level estimates of computer availability

are typically reported as averages, such as the

mean number of computers and the mean

number of computers with Internet access.

However, unlike ratio measures, averages do not

take the school’s enrollment size into account.

Because ratios (e.g., the number of students per

computer) indicate the extent to which the

available resources might be sufficient for the

student population, ratios have been commonly

used as approximations of student access to the

resources. Moreover, some measures of

computer and Internet access consider whether

those resources are available for instructional

purposes. For example, the ratio of students per

instructional computer excludes computers that

might be available only for administrative use.

Mean number of computers

In the 1998-99 school year, private schools

reported an average of 37 computers, including

those used for administrative and/or instructional
6

Figure 3.—Ratio of private school students to instructional computers, by selected school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

purposes (table B-1). This was a significant

increase over the number of available computers

in private schools in fall 1995—at that time, the

mean number of computers available was 24

(U.S. Department of Education, 1997a). A

measure that more closely approximates the

potential use of computers in learning activities

is the number of computers used for

instructional purposes. During the 1998-99

school year, the mean number of instructional

computers in private schools was 29 (table B-1).

Student-computer ratio

Ratio measures, such as the number of students

per computer, provide closer approximations of

computer availability than estimates based on

averages. In the 1998-99 school year, private

schools reported six students per computer,

including computers used for administrative

purposes (table B-2). This represented a lower

level of computer availability than is

recommended to allow for adequate access—

four to five students per computer (President’s

Committee of Advisors on Science and

Technology 1997), but a higher level of

availability than fall 1995 when private schools

reported nine students per computer (U.S.

Department of Education 1997a).

To explore the extent to which computers might

be available for teaching and learning (i.e.,

excluding computers used only for

administrative purposes), the number of students

per instructional computer was calculated for

each school. In 1998-99, private schools

reported eight students per instructional

computer (figure 3 and table B-2). The student

ratio to instructional computer differed by

affiliation; nonsectarian schools had fewer

students (six) per instructional computer than

computer also differed somewhat by

instructional level, with secondary and

combined schools reporting fewer students per

instructional computer than elementary schools

(seven versus eight students).4

 

4

 It is likely that the differences by affiliation are affected by the

differences among private schools by the level of students

served. Catholic schools are less likely than other religious or

nonsectarian schools to be combined schools; i.e., they are less

likely to serve elementary and secondary grades (see table 1).

7

7

8

6

9

8

8

0 10 20 30 40 50

Combined

Secondary

Elementary

Nonsectarian

Other religious

Catholic

Total

Number of students per instructional computer

Affiliation

Instructional level
7

Types of Advanced

Telecommunications

Advanced telecommunications cover a broad

range of modes of communication, including the

Internet, local area networks (LANs), two-way

video, and broadcast and interactive television.

In the 1998-99 school year, most private schools

(85 percent) reported that they had stand-alone

computers available, that is, computers that are

not connected to any network (tables 2 and B-4).

Of these schools, 83 percent had at least one

classroom with stand-alone computers. In 1998-

99, private schools were also asked whether they

had computers with modems. Almost threefourths of private schools (73 percent) reported

having a computer with a modem, and 41

percent of these schools indicated that a

computer with a modem was available in at least

one classroom. This represents a substantial

increase from 1995 when 48 percent of all

private schools reported having a computer with

a modem, and 24 percent of these schools had at

least one classroom with the resource (U.S.

Department of Education 1997a).

Local area networks allow students and teachers

to share local resources including peripherals

(e.g., printers) and software within one room,

and across classrooms or school buildings. In

the 1998-99 school year, about half of all private

schools reported having computers connected to

a LAN, and of these, 51 percent had the

technology available in at least one classroom

(tables 2 and B-3). This was higher than the

proportion of private schools reporting they had

computers with LAN connection in fall 1995; at

that time, 43 percent of private schools had a

computer connected to a LAN, and one-third of

these had at least one classroom with a computer

connected to a LAN (U.S. Department of

Education 1997a). In 1998-99, relatively few

private schools (12 percent) reported the

availability of interactive televisions/computers

with two-way audio/visual. Of these schools,

over half (54 percent) reported that interactive

televisions/computers with two-way audio/visual

were available in at least one classroom.

Internet Availability

To assess the extent of Internet availability, the

survey asked whether schools were connected to

the Internet. As with measures of computer

availability, school-level access to the Internet

does not reflect the extent to which this resource

might be available for teaching and learning.

Therefore, schools were also asked to report the

number of instructional computers and

instructional rooms with Internet access.

Moreover, because the usefulness of Internet

resources for instructional purposes might be

associated with the speed at which the Internet

can be accessed during regularly scheduled

classes, schools were asked about the various

ways in which they connected to the Internet.

Table 2.—Percent of private schools in which selected types of advanced telecommunications

equipment are available, and of these schools, percent in which equipment is also

available in at least one classroom, by type of equipment: Fall 1995 and school year

1998-99

Fall 1995 School year 1998-99

Type of equipment Available in

school

Available in

classroom1

Available in

school

Available in

classroom1

Stand-alone computer ................................................................................... (2) (2) 85 83

Interactive television/computer with two-way audio/visual.......................... (2

) (2) 12 54

Computer connected to a local area network (LAN)..................................... 43 33 49 51

Computer with modem ................................................................................. 48 24 73 41

1

Estimate is based on the percent of schools that had the equipment or service available in at least one classroom.

2

Not available. Data were not collected for these items in 1995.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999; and “Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Private

Schools, K-12,” FRSS 56, 1995.
8

Figure 4.—Percentage distribution of private schools with Internet access and future plans for

access: School year 1998-99

Has Internet 

access

67%

Plans to gain 

access by 2000

13%

No plans for 

access

19%

Plans to gain 

access after 

2000

1%

No Internet 

access

33%

NOTE: Percentages for future plans for Internet access are based on all private schools, not on private schools without Internet access.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

Figure 5.—Percent of private schools with Internet access, by selected school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

85

77

48

64

90

64

66

54

83

67

0 20 40 60 80 100

300 or more

150 to 299

Less than 150

Combined

Secondary

Elementary

Nonsectarian

Other religious

Catholic

Total

Percent

Affiliation

Instructional level

Enrollment size
9

Schools with Internet access

Private schools have made considerable strides

in connecting to the Internet. In the 1998-99

school year, 67 percent of all private schools had

Internet access (figure 4 and table B-5),

representing a substantial increase from fall

1995 when 25 percent of private schools were

connected to the Internet (U.S. Department of

Education 1997a). In 1998-99, 13 percent of all

private schools reported that they planned to

gain Internet access by 2000 (figure 4). If these

expectations are realized, then about 80 percent

of all private schools will be connected by the

end of 2000. Nineteen percent of all private

schools neither had Internet access nor reported

plans to obtain it.

The proportion of private schools with Internet

access differed by affiliation, instructional level,

and enrollment size (figure 5 and table B-5). A

greater percentage of Catholic schools had

Internet access compared with other religious

schools or nonsectarian schools (83 percent

versus 54 and 66 percent, respectively).

Secondary schools were more likely than either

elementary or combined schools to have Internet

access (90 versus 64 percent). Moreover, large

schools (with 300 or more students) and

medium-sized schools (with 150 to 299

students) were more likely than small schools

(with less than 150 students) to be connected to

the Internet. 5

Internet availability for instruction

To explore the extent to which Internet resources

might be available for instruction, the survey

asked about instructional computers with

Internet access and instructional rooms with this

technology. Instructional rooms include

classrooms, computer labs, library/media

centers, and any other rooms used for

instructional purposes (e.g., gymnasium).

 

5

 For the remainder of this report, small schools will be considered

as having enrollments of less than 150 students, medium-sized

schools with 150 to 299 students, and large schools with 300 or

more students.

Mean number of instructional computers

with Internet access. Among private schools

with Internet access in the 1998-99 school year,

the mean number of instructional computers

with Internet access was 18 (figure 6 and table

B-7). Although Catholic schools were more

likely than other religious or nonsectarian

schools to be connected to the Internet (see

figure 5), nonsectarian schools had more

instructional computers with Internet access on

average (40) than did Catholic schools (18).

Other religious schools had the least number of

instructional computers with Internet access (12)

on average. Secondary and combined private

schools had more Internet-connected

instructional computers than did elementary

schools (35 and 30 computers compared with 10

computers, respectively).

Ratio of students to instructional computers

with Internet access. Among private schools

with Internet access, the ratio of students per

instructional computer with Internet access was

15 to 1 (figure 7 and table B-8), compared with

the number of private school students per

instructional computer (8 to 1, see figure 3). On

average, nonsectarian schools had fewer

students per instructional computer with Internet

access (7 to 1) compared with Catholic schools

(19 to 1) and other religious schools (18 to 1).

In addition, the ratios of students to instructional

computer with Internet access were significantly

lower at secondary and combined schools (10 to

1) than elementary schools (24 to 1).

Instructional rooms with Internet access. In

the 1998-99 school year, 25 percent of all

instructional rooms in private schools were

connected to the Internet (figure 8 and table B10), representing a sharp increase from fall 1995

when 5 percent of instructional rooms in private

schools were connected (U.S. Department of

Education 1997a). The percentage of

instructional rooms with Internet access differed

somewhat by affiliation, instructional level, and

enrollment size of the schools. Nonsectarian

schools reported a higher proportion of
10

Figure 6.—Among private schools with Internet access, the mean number of instructional

computers with Internet access, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

Figure 7.—Ratio of private school students to instructional computers with Internet access in

private schools, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

10

10

24

7

18

19

15

0 10 20 30 40 50

Combined

Secondary

Elementary

Nonsectarian

Other religious

Catholic

Total

Affiliation

Instructional level

Number of students per instructional computer with Internet access

30

35

10

40

12

18

18

0 10 20 30 40 50

Combined

Secondary

Elementary

Nonsectarian

Other religious

Catholic

Total

Percent

Affiliation

Instructional level
11

Figure 8.—Percent of private school instructional rooms with Internet access, by selected school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

instructional rooms with Internet access

compared with Catholic and other religious

schools (41 percent versus 27 and 18 percent,

respectively). Secondary schools reported

proportionately more Internet-connected

instructional rooms than elementary schools (32

versus 21 percent). Large schools reported

proportionately more instructional rooms with

Internet access (34 percent) than medium-sized

or small schools (17 and 16 percent,

respectively).

Of private schools with Internet access in 1998-

99, most (83 percent) had at least one

instructional room with Internet access (tables 3

and B-11). Thirty-eight percent reported

Internet access in one instructional room, 19

percent had access in two to four rooms, and 26

percent had five or more instructional rooms

with this technology. The proportion of private

schools with five or more instructional rooms

with Internet access differed by affiliation;

Catholic and nonsectarian schools were more

likely than other religious schools to report

having five or more Internet-connected

instructional rooms (31 and 36 percent versus 18

percent, respectively).6

Among private schools with Internet access, the

proportion of schools with no Internet-connected

 

6

 Catholic and nonsectarian schools tend to have larger enrollments

than other religious schools; thus, the likelihood of having five or

more instructional rooms with Internet access may reflect this

size differential.

34

17

16

28

32

21

41

18

27

25

0 20 40 60 80 100

300 or more

150 to 299

Less than 150

Combined

Secondary

Elementary

Nonsectarian

Other religious

Catholic

Total

Percent

Affiliation

Instructional level

Enrollment size
12

Table 3.—Among private schools with Internet access, percentage distribution of schools indicating

the number of instructional rooms with Internet access, by selected school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

No

instructional

rooms

1

instructional

room

2-4

instructional

rooms

5 or more

instructional

rooms

All private schools.................................................................................... 17 38 19 26

Affiliation

Catholic.................................................................................................... 12 41 16 31

Other religious.......................................................................................... 21 37 23 18

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 15 32 17 36

Instructional level

Elementary ............................................................................................... 20 42 16 21

Secondary................................................................................................. 4 27 42 27

Combined................................................................................................. 18 33 25 24

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools. Percentages are

computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

to 17 percent in the 1998-99 school year (tables

3 and B-11). Moreover, the proportion of

private schools with five or more instructional

rooms with Internet access increased sharply

from 9 to 26 percent during this period.

Internet connections

Types of connections differ mainly with respect

to the speed and amount of information that can

be transmitted, with faster types of connections

being more desirable. When asked whether they

used various ways of connecting to the Internet,7

about two-thirds of private schools with Internet

access reported having dial-up connections in

1998-99 (tables 4 and B-13). This includes

modems and Serial Line Internet Protocol

(SLIP) or Point to Point Protocol (PPP)

connections. Schools also reported having

higher speed connections using dedicated lines.

In the 1998-99 school year, 21 percent of private

schools with Internet access connected using a

dedicated line. Considering the various types of

dedicated lines, 17 percent of schools connected

to the Internet using a 56Kb connection, 11

 

7

 Schools could report having more than one type of Internet

connection.

percent relied on a T1/DS1 line, and 6 percent

on a fractionalized T1 connection. In fall 1995,

2 percent of schools reported connecting to the

Internet using a 56Kb connection and 2 percent

indicated that they used a T1 line (U.S.

Department of Education 1997a).

Schools were also asked whether they had cable

modems and wireless connections.8

 In 1998-99,

12 percent of private schools connected to the

Internet through cable modems compared with

only 1 percent that used wireless connections

(tables 4 and B-13). Moreover, 14 percent of

private schools with Internet access reported

having Integrated Services Digital Network

(ISDN) lines in 1998-99, compared with 3

percent in 1995 (U.S. Department of Education

1997a).

The proportion of schools reporting they used

dedicated lines differed by affiliation,

instructional level, and enrollment size (tables 5

 

8

 Cable modems provide faster data transfer than modems used to

establish dial-up connections, and wireless connections do not

require wires or cables to connect to the Internet.
13

Table 4.—Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools reporting various types of

Internet connection: Fall 1995 and school year 1998-99

Type of Internet connection Fall 1995 School year

 1998-99

Dial-up connection .......................................................................................................................... (1) 65

Modem........................................................................................................................................ 94 (1

)

SLIP/PPP..................................................................................................................................... 16 (1

)

Dedicated line.................................................................................................................................. 4 21

56Kb ........................................................................................................................................... 2 17

T1/DS1........................................................................................................................................ 2 11

Fractionalized T1 ........................................................................................................................ (2

) 6

ISDN ............................................................................................................................................... 3 14

Wireless connection......................................................................................................................... (2

) 1

Cable modem................................................................................................................................... (2

) 12 1

Dial-up connections include modem connections and SLIP/PPP connection. In 1995, schools were asked to report separately for each type. In

school year 1998-99, private schools with Internet access were not asked about the specific type(s) of dial-up connections that they used.

2

Not available. These data were not collected on the 1995 survey.

NOTE: In both fall 1995 and school year 1998-99, percents for types of Internet connection do not sum to 100 because schools could report more

than one type of connection. The 1995 data presented in this table are based on the number of schools having Internet access—25 percent of

schools. The school year 1998-99 data presented in this table are based on the number of schools having Internet access—67 percent of schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999; and “Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Private

Schools, K-12,” FRSS 56, 1995.

Table 5.—Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools reporting various types of

Internet connection, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Type of Internet connection School characteristic

Dial-up connection Dedicated line ISDN Cable modem

All private schools........................... 65 21 14 12

Affiliation

Catholic ........................................... 65 27 17 13

Other religious................................. 67 14 12 13

Nonsectarian.................................... 51 28 14 12

Instructional level

Elementary ...................................... 68 18 16 12

Secondary........................................ 52 43 11 10

Combined ........................................ 61 21 11 16

Enrollment size

Less than 150................................... 77 10 5 17

150 to 299........................................ 66 23 16 11

300 or more ..................................... 49 37 22 10

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools. Percents for types of

Internet connection do not sum to 100 because schools could report more than one type of connection.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
14

and B-14). Catholic and nonsectarian schools

were more likely than other religious schools to

connect to the Internet using dedicated lines (27

and 28 percent versus 14 percent, respectively).

Moreover, secondary schools were considerably

more likely than combined or elementary

schools to report having dedicated lines (43

percent versus 21 and 18 percent, respectively).

Finally, the likelihood of having dedicated lines

varied by enrollment size, with larger schools

more likely to have this type of Internet

connection.

Availability of electronic mail and the World

Wide Web

To explore the availability of e-mail and the

WWW in private schools, the survey asked

whether those resources were available in

schools and to students, administrators, and

teachers.

Electronic mail. E-mail was available in 62

percent of all private schools (tables 6 and B15). A higher proportion of Catholic than other

religious or nonsectarian schools had e-mail

capabilities (79 percent versus 50 and 62

percent, respectively). Secondary schools were

more likely than elementary schools or

combined schools to report having e-mail (83

versus 60 percent). Moreover, large and

medium-sized schools were more likely than

small schools to have e-mail capabilities (81 and

73 percent versus 44 percent, respectively).

Schools also indicated whether e-mail was

available to students, teachers, and

administrators. Overall, e-mail was more likely

to be available to administrators than teachers,

and it was least likely to be available to students

(tables 6 and B-15). While 61 percent of private

schools indicated that e-mail was available to

their administrators, 51 percent reported that it

was available to teachers, and 28 percent

indicated that this resource was available to

students.

A higher proportion of nonsectarian than other

religious schools reported e-mail availability to

students (39 versus 22 percent; tables 6 and B15). Secondary schools were more likely than

elementary or combined schools to make e-mail

available to students (47 percent versus 25 and

29 percent, respectively). Moreover, large

schools were more likely than small schools to

report e-mail availability to students (35 versus

23 percent).

World Wide Web. In the 1998-99 school year,

64 percent of private schools reported the

availability of the WWW (tables 7 and B-16).

The proportion of schools reporting WWW

availability differed by affiliation, instructional

level, and enrollment size. Catholic schools

were more likely to have WWW access than

nonsectarian schools (81 versus 65 percent), and

other religious schools were least likely to report

the availability of this technology (51 percent).

More secondary schools (89 percent) had WWW

access compared with elementary (62 percent)

and combined schools (59 percent). Moreover,

the likelihood of private schools reporting

WWW availability varied by enrollment size,

with large schools being more likely to report

this Internet capability.

The WWW was more likely to be available to

administrative staff and teachers (61 and 56

percent) than to students (47 percent; tables 7

and B-16). Catholic and nonsectarian schools

were more likely than other religious schools to

report WWW availability to students (63 and 54

percent versus 34 percent, respectively). A

greater proportion of secondary schools (82

percent) reported WWW availability to students

compared with elementary and combined

schools (43 percent). Moreover, the likelihood

of reporting WWW availability to students

increased with enrollment size, with larger

schools more likely to report that the resource

was available to students.
15

Table 6.—Percent of schools indicating that e-mail was available in the school and to members of

the school community, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Available to members of school community School characteristic Available in school

Students Teachers Administrative staff

All private schools............................ 62 28 51 61

Affiliation

Catholic ............................................ 79 31 66 78

Other religious.................................. 50 22 41 48

Nonsectarian..................................... 62 39 53 60

Instructional level

Elementary ....................................... 60 25 48 58

Secondary......................................... 83 47 73 81

Combined ......................................... 60 29 51 59

Enrollment size

Less than 150.................................... 44 23 39 43

150 to 299......................................... 73 29 56 70

300 or more ...................................... 81 35 68 79

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

Table 7.—Percent of schools indicating that the World Wide Web was available in the school and to

members of the school community, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-

99

Available to members of school community School characteristic Available in school

Students Teachers Administrative staff

All private schools........................... 64 47 56 61

Affiliation

Catholic ........................................... 81 63 73 77

Other religious................................. 51 34 44 48

Nonsectarian.................................... 65 54 58 62

Instructional level

Elementary ...................................... 62 43 53 59

Secondary........................................ 89 82 86 86

Combined ........................................ 59 43 52 56

Enrollment size

Less than 150................................... 46 33 41 44

150 to 299........................................ 73 51 64 69

300 or more ..................................... 83 68 74 81

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
16
17

3. USE OF ADVANCED

TELECOMMUNICATIONS, SCHOOL

SUPPORT, AND BARRIERS

Highlights

 Forty-five percent of all private school teachers regularly used computers and/or advanced

telecommunications for teaching.

 Almost two-thirds of all private schools offered or participated in some type of advanced

telecommunications training for teachers. The most common type of technology training was on the use

of computers.

 While teacher training on the use of computers/advanced telecommunications was mandatory in 16

percent of private schools, over half of all private schools (55 percent) left it up to teachers to initiate the

training.

 Most private schools indicated that at least one individual was primarily responsible for supporting

advanced telecommunications in the school, while a large majority of those schools relied solely on one

individual for technical assistance.

 The most commonly cited barrier to acquiring or using advanced telecommunications was an insufficient

budget for hardware or software purchase.

To examine the extent to which available

computer and Internet resources are being used

in private schools, the survey asked about the

proportion of teachers who regularly use

computers and/or advanced telecommunications

for teaching, and the extent to which various

members of the school community (students,

teachers, and administrative staff) used

electronic mail (e-mail) and the World Wide

Web (WWW). Moreover, to explore the extent

support for computer and Internet use, schools

were asked whether they provided different

types of advanced telecommunications training

for teachers, used various approaches to

encourage participation in technology-related

training, and provided technical support for

advanced telecommunications use. The survey

also asked about the extent to which schools

might face various barriers to the acquisition and

use of computers or advanced telecommunications capabilities.

Instructional Use of Advanced

Telecommunications

Schools were asked to estimate the proportion of

teachers who regularly use computers or

advanced telecommunications for teaching.

Overall, 45 percent of all private school teachers

were reported to regularly use advanced

telecommunications for instruction (figure 9 and

table B-18). There were no significant

differences in the proportion of teachers using

advanced telecommunications for teaching by

school affiliation, instructional level, enrollment

size, or whether the school had Internet access.
18

Figure 9.—Percent of private school teachers who regularly use computers/advanced

telecommunications for teaching as reported by private schools, by selected school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

Extent of Use of Internet Resources

and Capabilities

The survey also asked schools about the extent

to which various members of the school

community—students, teachers, and administrators—used electronic mail and the World

Wide Web.9

 

9

 Information on the extent of e-mail and the World Wide Web use

by various members of the school community was not selfreported; it was provided by the school’s survey respondent. The

respondent could have been an administrator, technology

coordinator, or other staff member who was considered most

knowledgeable about advanced telecommunications at the

school.

Electronic mail. In 1998-99, virtually all

Internet-connected schools with e-mail access

reported that students, teachers, and

administrative staff used e-mail at least to a

small extent (tables 8 and B-20). Nineteen

percent of the schools indicated that students

used e-mail to a large extent and one-fourth

indicated that teachers made use of this resource

to a large extent. Moreover, 39 percent of the

schools indicated that their administrative staff

used this resource to a large extent, which was

significantly higher than the proportion of

schools reporting that teachers and students used

e-mail to a large extent. Nonsectarian schools

were more likely than other religious schools to

report that teachers used e-mail to a large extent

(37 versus 20 percent). The proportion of

33

47

47

43

41

44

47

45

49

41

48

45

0 20 40 60 80 100

No

Yes

300 or more

150 to 299

Less than 150

Combined

Secondary

Elementary

Nonsectarian

Other religious

Catholic

Total

Percent

Affiliation

Instructional level

Enrollment size

Has Internet access
19

schools reporting this level of students’ e-mail

use did not differ significantly by religious

affiliation. However, secondary schools were

more likely than elementary schools to report

that students used e-mail to a large extent (40

versus 13 percent).

Table 8.—Among private schools with Internet access and e-mail availability, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of e-mail use for various members of the

school community, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Students Teachers Administrative staff

School characteristic Large

extent

Moderate

extent

Small

extent

Not

at all

Large

extent

Moderate

extent

Small

extent

Not

at all

Large

extent

Moderate

extent

Small

extent

Not

at all

All private schools.. 19 26 47 8 25 32 38 5 39 30 28 3

Affiliation

Catholic .................. 18 22 54 6 24 28 43 5 41 29 28 3

Other religious ........ 13 31 44 11 20 38 38 5 34 33 29 4

Nonsectarian........... 29 26 38 7 37 35 28 1 45 28 25 2

Instructional level

Elementary.............. 13 23 54 10 24 31 40 6 40 28 28 4

Secondary ............... 40 22 34 3 33 30 35 2 44 31 24 1

Combined ............... 19 34 39 8 24 37 37 2 35 34 31 1

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools having Internet access—67 percent of private schools—and e-mail

access—62 percent of private schools with Internet access. Percentages are computed across each row under the major columns—students,

teacher, administrative staff— but may not sum to 100 because of rounding. Because of the large standard errors surrounding some estimates,

differences that appear large may not be statistically significant.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

World Wide Web. In the 1998-99 school year,

almost all Internet-connected schools with

WWW access reported that students, teachers,

and administrative staff used the WWW at least

to a small extent (tables 9 and B-21). Thirty-one

percent of the schools reported that students

used this resource to a large extent, 24 percent of

schools indicated that teachers used this

resource to a large extent, and 28 percent

reported that their administrative staff used it to

a large extent. Secondary schools were more

likely than elementary schools to report that

students used the WWW to a large extent (48

versus 25 percent), and Catholic and

nonsectarian schools were more likely than other

religious schools to indicate that students used

this resource to a large extent (35 and 42 percent

versus 21 percent). The proportion of schools

reporting that teachers used the WWW to a

large extent did not differ by religious affiliation

or instructional level.

Technology-Related Teacher

Training

Private schools were asked whether they offered

or participated in four types of technologyrelated training for teachers—use of computers,

use of the Internet, use of other advanced

telecommunications, and integration of

technology into the curriculum. The survey

also asked about various ways in which the

schools encouraged computer or advanced

telecommunications training for teachers.
20

Table 9.—Among private schools with Internet access and World Wide Web availability,

percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of World Wide Web use for

various members of the school community, by selected school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

Students Teachers Administrative staff

School characteristic Large

extent

Moderate

extent

Small

extent

Not

at all

Large

extent

Moderate

extent

Small

extent

Not

at all

Large

extent

Moderate

extent

Small

extent

Not

at all

All private schools.. 31 38 27 3 24 41 33 2 28 31 38 4

Affiliation

Catholic .................. 35 35 29 1 25 41 33 1 28 32 35 5

Other religious ........ 21 44 30 5 19 39 40 2 25 32 42 2

Nonsectarian........... 42 32 21 4 31 45 19 4 28 24 44 3

Instructional level

Elementary.............. 25 41 30 4 23 41 34 3 27 30 39 5

Secondary ............... 48 36 15 1 34 45 20 1 33 37 27 3

Combined ............... 36 34 29 1 22 38 40 0 26 29 44 1

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools—and World Wide

Web access—64 percent of private schools with Internet access. Percentages are computed across each row under the major columns—students,

teacher, administrative staff— but may not sum to 100 because of rounding. Because of the large standard errors surrounding some estimates,

differences that appear large may not be statistically significant.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

Provision of training for teachers

Overall, 64 percent of private schools offered or

participated in some type of advanced

telecommunications training for teachers in the

1998-99 school year (tables 10 and B-22). The

most common type of training was in the use of

computers, with 60 percent of schools offering

or participating in this activity. Moreover, about

half of all private schools offered or participated

in training in the integration of technology into

the classroom, and 43 percent provided training

on the use of the Internet. Nineteen percent

offered or participated in training on the use of

other types of advanced telecommunications.

The proportion of private schools that offered or

participated in advanced telecommunications

training differed by affiliation (tables 10 and B22). Overall, Catholic schools were more likely

than other religious or nonsectarian schools to

offer or participate in any training for teachers

(88 percent compared with 49 and 58 percent,

respectively). Similarly, for three of the four

types of advanced telecommunications training

for teachers—use of computers, use of the

Internet, and integration of technology into the

curriculum—Catholic schools were more likely

than other religious or nonsectarian schools to

offer or participate in the activity. Other

religious schools were least likely to offer or

participate in teacher training on the use of the

Internet.

There were also some differences among

schools offering or participating in advanced

telecommunications training by instructional

level (tables 10 and B-22). Overall, secondary

schools were more likely than combined schools

to offer or participate in any technology training

for teachers (74 versus 55 percent). Secondary

schools were more likely than elementary

schools to report that they offered or participated

in training on the use of the Internet (62 versus

44 percent), and combined schools were least

likely to report this activity (33 percent).

Moreover, secondary and elementary schools

were more likely than combined schools to offer

or participate in the other three types of

advanced telecommunications training for

teachers—use of computers, integration of

technology into the curriculum, and use of other

advanced telecommunications. 
21

Table 10.—Percent of private schools offering or participating in advanced telecommunications

training for teachers, by type of training and selected school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

Type of advanced telecommunications training

School characteristic

Schools offering

or participating in

any type of

advanced telecommunications

training for

teachers

Use of computers

Integration of

technology into

the curriculum

Use of Internet

Use of other

advanced telecommunications

All private schools................. 64 60 49 43 19

Affiliation

Catholic................................. 88 85 74 66 30

Other religious....................... 49 45 34 28 12

Nonsectarian ......................... 58 55 44 42 22

Instructional level

Elementary ............................ 66 63 54 44 21

Secondary.............................. 74 69 54 62 24

Combined.............................. 55 49 35 33 13

Internet access

Has access ............................. 77 73 60 60 25

No access .............................. 39 35 26 9 8

Enrollment size

Less than 150 ........................ 45 40 33 26 11

150-299 ................................. 76 74 54 50 23

300 or more........................... 84 83 73 66 32

NOTE: Schools could report more than one type of advanced telecommunications training for teachers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

There were some consistent differences in the

proportion of schools that offered or participated

in technology-related training for teachers

depending on whether or not the school had

Internet access (tables 10 and B-22). For

instance, schools with Internet access were

consistently more likely than those without

access to offer or participate in any type of

advanced telecommunications training for

teachers (77 versus 39 percent). Internetconnected schools were also more likely to offer

or participate in each type of technology-related

training examined in this survey—use of

computers, integration of technology into the

curriculum, use of the Internet, and use of other

advanced telecommunications.

The likelihood of private schools offering or

participating in any technology training for

teachers also differed by enrollment size (tables

10 and B-22). Large and medium-sized schools

were more likely than small schools to provide

any technology training for teachers (84 and 76

percent versus 45 percent, respectively).

Moreover, the likelihood of offering or

participating in each type of training increased

with enrollment size. For example, large

schools were more likely than medium-sized

schools to report technology-related training in

the use of computers, and small schools were

least likely to report this activity.

Encouraging teacher participation in

advanced telecommunications training

To explore the ways in which private schools

encouraged their teachers to participate in
22

technology-related training, the survey asked

whether:

 It was left up to teachers to initiate

participation in training;

 Training was not mandated, but incentives

were provided to encourage participation;

 Training was mandated by the school,

central administration, or diocese; or

 Teachers were encouraged in some other

way to participate in training.

Of the 64 percent of private schools that offered

or participated in some type of advanced

telecommunications training for teachers in the

1998-99 school year, 55 percent reported that

the decision to initiate participation in

technology training was left to the teachers

(tables 11 and B-23). An additional 22 percent

said that teacher training in computers/advanced

telecommunications was not mandated, but that

the school provided incentives to encourage

teacher participation. However, 16 percent of

private schools that offered or participated in

advanced telecommunications training said that

teacher training was mandated by the school,

central administration, or diocese. The

remaining 6 percent of schools that offered or

participated in training provided some other

response as to how such training was

encouraged by the school.

Table 11.—Among private schools that offered or participated in advanced telecommunications

training for teachers, percent of schools using various methods of encouragement for

teacher training, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Left up to teachers to

initiate participation in

training

Training not

mandated, but

encouraged by

incentives

Training mandated by

school, central

administration, or

diocese

Other approach

All private schools.............. 55 22 16 6

Affiliation

Catholic .............................. 37 31 26 6

Other religious.................... 67 15 12 6

Nonsectarian....................... 56 27 11 6

Instructional level

Elementary ......................... 50 25 19 6

Secondary........................... 55 22 16 7

Combined ........................... 68 16 10 5

Enrollment size

Less than 150...................... 68 14 9 9

150 to 299........................... 49 27 19 4

300 or more ........................ 39 32 27 3

Internet access

Has access .......................... 47 29 22 5

No access............................ 72 13 6 9

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of private schools offering or participating in any type of advanced

telecommunications training for teachers—64 percent of private schools. Percents are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to

rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
23

The likelihood of schools reporting that it was

left to teachers to initiate participation in

technology-related training differed somewhat

by affiliation, enrollment size, and whether the

school had Internet access (tables 11 and B-23).

Other religious and nonsectarian schools were

more likely than Catholic schools to leave the

decision to participate to teachers (67 and 56

percent versus 37 percent, respectively).

Combined schools were more likely than

elementary schools to leave this decision to their

teachers (68 versus 50 percent). Small schools

were more likely than medium-sized or large

schools to report that it was left up to teachers to

initiate participation in technology-related

training (68 percent versus 49 and 39 percent,

respectively). Schools without Internet access

were more likely than those with access to leave

this decision to their teachers (72 versus 47

percent).

Technical Support

To provide some insights on the extent to which

schools provided technical support for the use of

advanced telecommunications, the survey asked

about persons primarily responsible for

providing this support, and the various types of

technical support made available.

Individuals responsible for providing support

Most private schools (80 percent) indicated

having someone primarily responsible for

supporting advanced telecommunications in the

1998-99 school year (figure 10 and table B-24).

Twenty-seven percent indicated that a teacher or

other staff member was primarily responsible for

providing support for advanced telecommunications as part of his/her formal responsibilities,

Figure 10.—Percentage distribution of private schools indicating the various individuals primarily

responsible for supporting advanced telecommunications in the school: School year

1998-99

NOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

27

13 12 12 10

5

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Full-time paid No one

technology

director/

coordinator

Teacher or

other staff as 

volunteers

Other

volunteers

 or someone else

Consultant/

outside

contractor

Part-time paid 

technology

director/

coordinator

Teacher or other

 staff as part

of formal 

responsibilities
24

and 13 percent reported that a part-time paid

technology director/coordinator had primary

responsibility. Moreover, 12 percent of the

schools indicated that primary responsibility for

advanced telecommunications was held by a

full-time paid technology director/coordinator,

and another 12 percent said that primary

responsibility was with a teacher or other staff

acting as volunteers. Primary responsibility was

held by other volunteers or someone else in 10

percent of the schools, and 5 percent of the

schools reported a consultant/outside contractor

in this capacity.

Number of individuals providing support

Schools were also asked about the number of

individuals providing technical support for

advanced telecommunications during the 1998-

99 school year. Of the 80 percent of private

schools with at least one individual providing

support for advanced telecommunications, a

large majority (70 percent) relied solely on one

individual (tables 12 and B-25). The other 30

percent had two or more individuals providing

assistance for advanced telecommunications.

Among private schools with at least one

individual providing advanced telecommunications support, 37 percent received fulltime support from one or more persons. Onefourth of these schools relied on one individual

and 12 percent had two or more individuals.

Schools also reported part-time advanced

telecommunications support: three-fourths of

schools with at least one individual providing

support had part-time assistance, with 48 percent

receiving assistance from one individual and 28

percent from two or more persons.

Table 12.—Among private schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications, percent of schools indicating various numbers of individuals

providing support, by level of support and selected school characteristics: School year

1998-99

Total number of

individuals Number of full-time individuals Number of part-time individuals School characteristic

1 2+ None 1 2+ None 1 2+

All private schools............... 70 30 63 25 12 25 48 28

Affiliation

Catholic ............................... 66 34 61 30 10 27 43 30

Other religious ..................... 74 26 72 17 11 21 55 24

Nonsectarian........................ 63 37 52 28 20 30 36 34

Instructional level

Elementary........................... 68 32 63 27 10 25 45 30

Secondary ............................ 64 36 56 32 12 29 40 31

Combined ............................ 76 24 67 16 17 23 57 20

Enrollment size

Less than 150....................... 79 21 77 14 9 18 61 21

150 to 299............................ 64 36 65 26 9 25 44 31

300 or more.......................... 62 38 47 3 18 33 35 32

Internet access

Has access............................ 64 36 61 26 13 26 43 31

No access............................. 86 14 71 21 9 21 63 16

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percents are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
25

The proportion of schools with two or more

individuals responsible for providing advanced

telecommunications support differed by whether

the school had Internet access (tables 12 and B25). Internet-connected schools were more

likely than schools without Internet access to

report having two or more individuals with this

responsibility (36 versus 14 percent). Also,

large schools were more likely than small

schools to indicate they had two or more persons

responsible for providing advanced

telecommunications support (38 versus 21

percent). There were no significant differences

by instructional level or affiliation.

Types of support provided

Private schools with at least one individual

responsible for advanced telecommunications

support were also asked to indicate the extent to

which the technology coordinator or other

technical support staff:

 Helped teachers integrate technology into

the curriculum;

 Provided network technical support; and

 Involved students in the maintenance of

telecommunications systems.

Most private schools that provided advanced

telecommunications support reported that the

technology coordinator or other technology staff

helped teachers integrate technology into the

curriculum at least to a small extent (81 percent;

tables 13 and B-26). Forty-one percent

indicated that technical assistance in integrating

technology into the curriculum helped teachers

to a large or moderate extent, and 40 percent felt

that it helped to a small extent. Nineteen percent

of the schools indicated that this type of

technical support did not help at all.

Catholic and nonsectarian schools were more

likely than other religious schools to indicate

that the technology coordinator or other

technology staff helped teachers to integrate

technology into the curriculum to a large or

moderate extent (56 and 44 percent versus 25

percent, respectively; tables 13 and B-26).

Table 13.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may help teachers integrate technology into the curriculum,

percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of support, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Large or

moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools.................................................................................... 41 40 19

Affiliation

Catholic.................................................................................................... 56 33 11

Other religious.......................................................................................... 25 50 25

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 44 30 25

Instructional level

Elementary ............................................................................................... 47 36 17

Secondary................................................................................................. 49 38 13

Combined................................................................................................. 23 50 27

Internet access

Has access ................................................................................................ 46 38 16

No access ................................................................................................. 24 46 30

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
26

Schools with Internet access were more likely

than those without this resource to report that the

assistance provided by technology coordinators

or other technical staff helped teachers to

integrate technology into the curriculum to a

moderate or large extent (46 versus 24 percent).

Moreover, elementary and secondary schools

were more likely than combined schools to

report this extent of support to teachers (47 and

49 percent versus 23 percent, respectively).

Private schools with one or more individuals

providing advanced telecommunications support

also reported the extent to which network

technical assistance was provided by the

technology coordinator or other technical staff.

About two-thirds (63 percent) indicated that

network technical support was provided at least

to a small extent (tables 14 and B-27). Fortytwo percent indicated that this assistance was

provided to a large or moderate extent, and 21

percent felt it was provided to a small extent.

However, 37 percent of the schools indicated

that network technical support was not provided

at all.

Nonsectarian schools were more likely than

Catholic or other religious schools to report that

technical support was provided to a large or

moderate extent (57 percent versus 44 and 37

percent, respectively; tables 14 and B-27).

Internet-connected schools were more likely

than schools without Internet access to indicate

this extent of technical support (49 versus 20

percent). Secondary schools were more likely

than elementary or combined schools to report

that the technology coordinator or other staff

provided technical support to a large or

moderate extent (57 versus 40 percent).

Table 14.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may provide network support, percentage distribution of

schools indicating the extent of support, by school characteristics: School year 1998-

99

School characteristic Large or

moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools.................................................................................... 42 21 37

Affiliation

Catholic.................................................................................................... 44 21 35

Other religious.......................................................................................... 37 23 41

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 57 13 29

Instructional level

Elementary ............................................................................................... 40 21 38

Secondary................................................................................................. 57 23 19

Combined................................................................................................. 40 18 42

Internet access

Has access ................................................................................................ 49 23 28

No access ................................................................................................. 20 13 68

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
27

Schools with one or more individuals providing

advanced telecommunications support also

reported the extent to which the technology

coordinator or other technical staff involved

students in the maintenance of the

telecommunications systems. Nineteen percent

of the schools indicated that students were

involved in this activity to a large or moderate

extent, and 28 percent reported that it occurred

to a small extent (tables 15 and B-28).

However, 54 percent of the schools indicated

that the involvement of students in the

maintenance of the telecommunications systems

did not take place at all. Secondary schools

were more likely than elementary schools to

report that the technology coordinator or other

technical staff involved students in the

maintenance of the telecommunications systems

to a large or moderate extent (28 versus 17

percent), and nonsectarian schools were more

likely than other religious schools to report this

extent of student involvement in the

maintenance of telecommunications systems in

the school (29 versus 13 percent). There were

no significant differences in the proportion of

schools reporting this activity by whether or not

the school had Internet access.

Table 15.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may involve students in the maintenance of

telecommunications systems, percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent

of involvement, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Large or

moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools.................................................................................... 19 28 54

Affiliation

Catholic.................................................................................................... 21 30 49

Other religious.......................................................................................... 13 25 62

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 29 25 46

Instructional level

Elementary ............................................................................................... 17 26 58

Secondary................................................................................................. 28 35 37

Combined................................................................................................. 20 29 52

Internet access

Has access ................................................................................................ 21 31 49

No access ................................................................................................. 13 17 70

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
28

Barriers to Acquisition/Usage of

Advanced Telecommunications

Private schools indicated that various factors

were barriers to either to the acquisition or use

of computers/advanced telecommunications

capabilities. In the 1998-99 school year, the

most commonly cited barrier was insufficient

budget for hardware/software purchases; 45

percent of private schools indicated that this was

a major barrier to acquiring or using advanced

telecommunications, 23 percent said it was a

moderate barrier, and 13 percent indicated it was

a minor barrier (tables 16 and B-29). For 19

percent of private schools, insufficient budget

for hardware/software purchases was not a

barrier at all. Other barriers reported as major

by private schools included the lack of or poor

equipment (23 percent), concern about student

access to inappropriate materials (18 percent),

and the lack of quality software for instructional

purposes (15 percent).

Table 16.—Percentage distribution of private schools reporting the extent to which various factors

were barriers to either the acquisition or use of computers/advanced telecommunications: School

year 1998-99

Barrier Major

barrier

Moderate

barrier Minor barrier Not a barrier

Insufficient budget for hardware/software

purchases ........................................................... 45 23 13 19

Lack of or poor equipment....................................... 23 24 19 34

Concern about student access to inappropriate

materials ............................................................ 18 18 25 39

Lack of quality software for instructional

purposes............................................................. 15 23 25 38

Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities ..... 14 16 21 50

Insufficient level of E-rate discount......................... 14 8 13 51

Lack of technical support or advice ......................... 14 19 26 41

Lack of teacher training........................................... 13 29 28 30

Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of

interest ............................................................... 8 12 26 54

Problems with telecommunication providers........... 6 6 14 74

NOTE: Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
29

4. E-RATE AND OTHER SUPPORT FOR

ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS

IN SCHOOLS

Highlights

 The most commonly cited source of support for advanced telecommunications in the school was parents or

other community members. Support from various sources took the form of funds, hardware, technical

assistance, training, and network access.

 About one-fourth of all private schools applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program, and 39 percent of

private schools indicated that they intended to apply or had already applied for the 1999-2000 E-rate

discount program.

 Catholic schools were more likely than other religious or nonsectarian schools to report that they had

applied or intended to apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate discounts, and schools with Internet access were

more likely than those without access to report that decision.

This chapter reports on sources of support for

the acquisition and use of advanced

telecommunications in private schools.

Specifically, the survey asked about various

sources that support advanced telecommunications during the 1998-99 school year and the

type of support provided. A major focus of this

chapter is the extent to which schools

participated in the E-rate (Education-rate)

program, designed to provide the nation’s public

and private schools and libraries access to

affordable telecommunications and advanced

digital technologies (U.S. Department of

Education 2000e). It is important to note that Erate participation is difficult to measure. For

instance, some schools may not be aware that

they “applied” for E-rate discounts because the

application had been completed by some

organization or agency on behalf of the school

(e.g., the diocese for Catholic schools). Thus,

some private schools may not know that they

were approved for E-rate funding. At the time

of the survey, many of the schools indicated that

they were not yet informed about such funding

(some of these schools were late in submitting

their E-rate applications).

Sources and Types of Support

Schools were asked whether various programs,

organizations, or individuals (apart from sources

covered under the school budget) supported

advanced telecommunications in the school.

The extent of such support, however, was not

investigated. Support could include funds,

hardware, software, technical assistance,

training, or network access, and it could come

from:
30

 Federal or state programs (i.e., the

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund,

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant,

E-rate under the Telecommunications

Act, Title VI of ESEA, and other

state/federal government programs);10

 Business or industry;

 Other organizations/institutions (i.e.,

college or university, other community

nonprofit organizations, and central

administration or diocese);

 Individuals (i.e., parents or other

community members, teachers, and

students); and

 Other sources.

The proportion of private schools indicating that

federal programs supported advanced telecommunications during the 1998-99 school year

ranged from 15 percent for Title VI of ESEA to

2 percent from the Technology Innovation

Challenge Grant program (tables 17 and B-32).

Thirteen percent of private schools indicated

support for advanced telecommunications from

the E-rate program under the Telecommunications Act, 3 percent from the Technology

Literacy Challenge Fund, and 10 percent from

other state or federal government programs.

Advanced telecommunications in private

schools was also supported by business or

industry (22 percent), the central school

administration or diocese (14 percent), colleges

 

10 The Technology Literacy Challenge Fund provides

funding to states to effectively increase the capacity of

their schools to integrate educational technology into

classrooms. The Technology Innovation Challenge

Grant provides funding for teacher preparation and

professional development activities that support the

integration of educational technology into the curriculum.

E-rate/Universal Service Schools and Libraries

Telecommunication Discount Program was created as

part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to ensure

that all eligible schools (public and private) and libraries

in the United States have affordable access to modern

telecommunications and information services. Title VI of

the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(ESEA) provides funding for the development of

effective curriculum and instruction activities to meet the

needs of public schools and participating private schools.

or universities (3 percent), and other community

or nonprofit organizations (9 percent). The most

frequently cited source of support for advanced

telecommunications in private schools was

parents or other community members (57

percent). Schools also reported support for

advanced telecommunications from teachers (21

percent) and students (9 percent).

Support for advanced telecommunications in

private schools took the form of funds (55

percent), hardware (49 percent), software (44

percent), technical assistance (37 percent),

training (28 percent), and network access (19

percent; tables 18 and B-33). Catholic schools

were more likely than other religious or

nonsectarian schools to report support for

advanced telecommunications in the form of

funds, hardware, training, and technical

assistance. For example, 73 percent of Catholic

schools compared with 46 percent of other

religious schools and 47 percent of nonsectarian

schools indicated support for advanced

telecommunications from programs, organizations, or individuals. Internet-connected schools

were more likely than schools without access to

report support for advanced telecommunications

with hardware, software, technical assistance,

training, and network access. Moreover, large

and medium-sized schools were more likely than

small schools to indicate that various sources

supported advanced telecommunications with

funds, hardware, and technical assistance.

E-rate Participation

The Schools and Libraries Universal Service

Fund, better known as the E-rate (Education

rate) program, is designed to make

telecommunications services more affordable to

all eligible schools and libraries. The program,

legislated as part of the Telecommunications Act

of 1996, provides discounts based on the

percentage of students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch and whether the school is

located in an urban or rural area. These

discounts can range from 20 percent to 90

percent and can be used for internal connections,
31

Table 17.—Percent of private schools indicating the various programs, organizations, or

individuals that support advanced telecommunications in the school: School year

1998-99

Source of support Percent of schools

Federal/state technology-related programs:

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund..................................................... 3

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant................................................ 2

E-rate under Telecommunications Act ................................................... 13

Title VI of ESEA.................................................................................... 15

Other state/federal government programs............................................... 10

Business or industry.................................................................................... 22

Other organizations/institutions:

College or university .............................................................................. 3

Other community nonprofit.................................................................... 9

Central administrative/diocese................................................................ 14

Individuals:

Parents or other community members .................................................... 57

Teachers ................................................................................................. 21

Students.................................................................................................. 9

Other........................................................................................................... 7

NOTE: Schools could report more than one source of support for advanced telecommunications.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

Table 18.—Percent of private schools indicating the various types of support for advanced

telecommunications in the school, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-

99

Type of support

School characteristic

Funds Hardware Software Technical

assistance Training Network

access

All private schools.............................. 55 49 44 37 28 19

Affiliation

Catholic .............................................. 73 62 51 46 41 25

Other religious.................................... 46 43 41 31 22 15

Nonsectarian....................................... 47 45 38 32 20 20

Instructional level

Elementary ......................................... 57 50 43 39 30 19

Secondary........................................... 62 47 38 40 34 30

Combined ........................................... 47 46 48 32 23 16

Enrollment size

Less than 150...................................... 41 40 40 32 19 15

150 to 299........................................... 66 55 48 38 34 18

300 or more ........................................ 69 61 47 44 38 28

Internet access

Has access .......................................... 65 57 52 46 37 25

No access............................................ 56 32 29 20 11 8

NOTE: The various types of support reported in this table were provided by programs, organizations, or individuals identified in table 17.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
32

telecommunications services, and Internet access

(U.S. Department of Education 1999b).

Much of the recent progress made in Internet

access in public schools has been attributed to Erate funds made available in 1998 (U.S.

Department of Education 1999b). In the case of

private schools, 13 percent reported that they

received discounts from the E-rate program

during the 1998-99 school year (see table 17).

To explore the extent to which private schools

participated in this program, the survey asked

whether schools had applied for the 1998 E-rate

program. Schools that applied were asked about

the discount levels for which they qualified, and

schools that did not apply were asked about their

reasons for not applying. All private schools

were also asked whether they had applied or

intended to apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate

program.

Figure 11.—Percent of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program, by

selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

E-rate applications for the 1998 program

About one-fourth of all private schools (24

percent) applied for the 1998 E-rate program

(figure 11 and table B-34).11 Catholic schools

 

11 A recent evaluation report of the E-rate program indicated that

15 percent of private schools applied for E-rate discounts during

the first year of the program—from January 1998 to June 1999.

were considerably more likely than other

religious or nonsectarian schools to apply for the

E-rate discount (51 percent versus 9 and 15

percent, respectively). Elementary and

secondary schools were more likely to submit Erate applications than combined schools (27 and

 

Sixteen percent of private schools applied for the program during

the second year, which lasted from July 1999 to June 2000 (U.S.

Department of Education 2000e).

31

46

31

8

13

34

27

15

9

51

24

12

0 20 40 60 80 100

No

Yes

300 or more

150 to 299

Less than 150

Combined

Secondary

Elementary

Nonsectarian

Other religious

Catholic

Total

Percent

Affiliation

Instructional level

Enrollment size

Internet access
33

Table 19.—Percent of private schools that did not apply for the 1998 E-rate discount program, and

percent giving various reasons for not applying, by selected school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

Reason for not applying

School characteristic

Percent of

private

schools that

did not apply

for discount

Never heard

of program

Application

process too

complicated

Other reasons Discount too

low

Opposed to

program in

principle

All private schools.......... 76 50 24 23 10 8

Affiliation

Catholic .......................... 49 15 48 35 20 1

Other religious................ 91 59 17 20 8 11

Nonsectarian................... 85 60 17 21 6 3

Instructional level

Elementary ..................... 73 42 28 27 13 7

Secondary....................... 66 45 32 21 8 5

Combined ....................... 87 68 12 15 5 10

Enrollment size

Less than 150.................. 92 66 14 18 4 9

150 to 299....................... 69 34 32 30 19 6

300 or more .................... 54 22 40 33 18 7

Internet access

Has access ...................... 69 41 33 21 14 6

No access........................ 88 64 8 26 4 11

NOTE: Percents for reasons for not applying for the 1998 E-rate discount program are based on the number of schools that did not apply for the

1998 E-rate discount program—76 percent of private schools. Percents do not sum to 100 because schools could report more than one reason for

not applying for the 1998 E-rate discount.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

34 percent versus 13 percent, respectively), and

the likelihood of private schools applying for the

discount increased with enrollment size.

Moreover, a considerably higher proportion (31

percent) of schools with Internet access

submitted E-rate applications compared with

schools without access (12 percent).

Of the 76 percent of schools that did not apply

for the E-rate discount, half said that they did

not apply because they had not heard of the

program (tables 19 and B-35).12 Twenty-four

percent of schools reported they did not apply

because the application process was too

complicated, 10 percent did not apply because

the discount was too low, and 8 percent did not

 

12 However, the Office of Nonpublic Education sent out E-rate

information to all private schools. It is important to note that it is

the survey respondent indicating that he/she had not heard about

E-rate. Some other individual at the school or formerly at the

school may have been aware of the program.

submit an application because they were

opposed to the program in principle. Twentythree percent of schools did not apply for other

reasons, including not being interested in the

program, not qualifying for the program because

of a large endowment or being a for-profit

private school, not having technology or a

technology plan in place, and time constraints.

The proportion of schools reporting that they

had never heard of the E-rate program differed

somewhat by affiliation and instructional level

(tables 19 and B-35). Other religious and

nonsectarian schools were more likely than

Catholic schools to report that they had never

heard of the program (59 and 60 percent versus

15 percent, respectively). Combined schools

were more likely than elementary or secondary

schools to indicate that they had not heard of the

program (68 percent compared with 42 and 45

percent, respectively). Moreover, the proportion
34

of schools not knowing about the E-rate program

varied by enrollment size, with smaller schools

more likely to report that they had not heard

about the program. Finally, a higher proportion

of schools without Internet access than those

with access had not heard about the program.

Figure 12.—Among private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program, percent

reporting various discounts for which they were eligible: School year 1998-99

NOTE: Data presented in this figure are based on the number of schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program—24 percent of private

schools. Percents may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.

E-rate discount levels

The E-rate program gives priority to schools

with relatively high proportions of students who

are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and

those that are located in rural areas, with

discounts ranging from 20 to 90 percent.13 Of

the private schools reporting that they applied

for the 1998 E-rate discount program, 18 percent

indicated that they qualified for a 20 percent

discount, 44 percent qualified for a 40 percent

discount, an additional 15 percent were eligible

 

13 For example, the discount for a rural school with less than 1

percent of its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is

25 percent. A rural school with 1 percent to 19 percent of its

students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 50 percent.

The discount for a rural school with 20 percent to 34 percent of

its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, however, is

60 percent.

for a 50 percent discount, and 22 percent

qualified for a discount of 60 to 90 percent

(figure 12 and table B-36).

Applications for the 1999-2000 E-rate

program

Private schools were asked if they had applied or

planned to apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate

discount program. Thirty-nine percent of private

schools said that they had applied or planned to

apply. A majority (57 percent) said they were

not going to apply for the discount, and the

remaining 4 percent were undecided (tables 20

and B-37).

The proportion of schools that applied or

planned to apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate

discount differed by affiliation and instructional

20 percent discount

40 percent discount

50 percent discount

60 percent or higher 

discount

18%

44%

15%

22%
35

level (tables 20 and B-37). Catholic schools

were more likely than nonsectarian schools to

apply or plan to apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate

discount (69 versus 35 percent), and other

religious schools (18 percent) were least likely

to. Similarly, secondary schools were more

likely than elementary schools to submit or plan

to submit E-rate applications (56 versus 43

percent), and combined schools (23 percent)

were the least likely to. Moreover, a higher

proportion of large and medium-sized schools

(57 and 55 percent, respectively) than small

schools (18 percent) applied or planned to apply

for the E-rate discounts. Finally, schools with

Internet access were more likely than those

without this technology to apply or plan to apply

for E-rate discounts (50 versus 18 percent).

Table 20.—Percentage distribution of private schools indicating their decision to apply or not apply

for the 1999-2000 E-rate discount program, by selected school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

School characteristic Applied or

planning to apply Not going to apply Undecided

All private schools.................................................................................... 39 57 4

Affiliation

Catholic.................................................................................................... 69 29 2

Other religious.......................................................................................... 18 76 6

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 35 62 3

Instructional level

Elementary ............................................................................................... 43 54 3

Secondary................................................................................................. 56 43 1

Combined................................................................................................. 23 71 6

Enrollment size

Less than 150 ........................................................................................... 18 77 5

150 to 299 ................................................................................................ 55 41 4

300 or more.............................................................................................. 57 41 1

Internet access

Has access ................................................................................................ 50 46 4

No access ................................................................................................. 18 78 3

NOTE: Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
36
37

5. SELECTED COMPARISONS WITH

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Highlights

 In 1998-99, private schools continued to be outpaced by public schools on some indicators of the availability

of advanced telecommunications. Compared with public schools, private schools reported more students per

instructional computer with Internet access; private schools were less likely to be connected to the Internet,

and they reported proportionately fewer instructional rooms with Internet access.

 Nevertheless, private schools have made some substantial gains since 1995, some comparable to public

schools. Between fall 1995 and 1998-99, the percentage point increase in private schools with Internet

access was comparable to the gains made by public schools.

NCES has conducted annual surveys of

advanced telecommunications in public schools

since 1994. Although the public and private

school surveys were designed to permit some

comparisons across school sector and over time,

the public school questionnaire was substantially

shorter than the private school survey, and some

of the items have changed over time to better

reflect recent developments in advanced

telecommunications. Therefore, only a limited

number of comparisons can be made. The focus

of this chapter is on private-public comparisons

of selected issues: availability of computers,

Internet access in schools and instructional

rooms, types of Internet connection, and the

availability and use of Internet capabilities (email and the World Wide Web).

Prevalence of Computers

In the 1998-99 school year, the ratio of private

school students per instructional computer was 8

to 1 compared with the public school ratio of 6

to 1 in fall 1998 (figure 13). Differences

between private and public schools also exist in

the availability of instructional computers with

Internet access. Whereas private schools had 15

students per instructional computer with Internet

access for the 1998-99 school year, public

schools reported a ratio of 12 to 1 in fall 1998.

Among public schools, elementary and

secondary schools report similar ratios of

students per instructional computer (six students;

table B-38). This pattern is not consistent across

private schools; that is, it holds for Catholic

schools but not for other religious and

nonsectarian schools. For example, among other

religious schools, secondary schools report

fewer students per instructional computer (six)

than elementary schools (nine).

Internet Access in Schools

Overall, private schools were less likely than

public schools to be connected to the Internet

during the 1998-99 school year (figure 14).

Sixty-seven percent of private schools compared

with 89 percent of public schools were

connected to the Internet. Private schools were

also less likely than public schools to report

Internet access in fall 1995; 25 percent of private

schools compared with 50 percent of public

schools had Internet access at that time.
38

Figure 13.—Ratio of students to instructional computer and ratio of students to instructional

computer with Internet access, by school sector: Fall 1998 and school year 1998-99

NOTE: Private schools were surveyed during the school year 1998-99. Public schools were surveyed in fall 1998.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999; and “Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 1998,”

FRSS 69, 1998.

Figure 14.—Percent of schools with Internet access, by school sector: Fall 1994 to school year 1998-

99

NOTE: Private schools were surveyed in 1995 and during the school year 1998-99. Public schools were surveyed in fall 1994 through fall 1998.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 1994, Fall 1995, Fall 1996, and Fall 1997”; “Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools,

Fall 1998.” “Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools, Fall 1995, School year 1998-99.”

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

35

50

65

78

89

25

67

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Public schools

Private schools

12

6

15

8

0 10 20 30 40 50

Number of students

Private schools

Public schools

Number of students per 

instructional computer

Number of students per 

instructional computer 

with Internet access
39

Increases in the proportion of schools with

Internet access since 1995 were similar for

private and public schools (figure 14). The

proportion of private schools with Internet

access increased from 25 percent in fall 1995 to

67 percent in the 1998-99 school year. Among

public schools, the proportion of schools with

Internet access increased from 50 percent in fall

1995 to 89 percent in fall 1998. These data

suggest that private schools have made similar

progress to public schools in gaining access to

the Internet within the past 4 years, although

private schools continue to be less likely than

their public school counterparts to be connected

to the Internet.

Internet Access in Instructional

Rooms

School-level measures of Internet access do not

provide a clear indication of the extent to which

those telecommunications capabilities are

available in instructional rooms or classrooms.

In the 1998-99 school year, private schools had

fewer of their instructional rooms connected to

the Internet compared with the percentage of

instructional rooms with Internet access in

public schools in fall 1998 (figure 15). Twentyfive percent of private school instructional

rooms were connected to the Internet compared

with 51 percent for public schools.

Compared to public schools, private schools had

lower rates of increase in the proportion of

instructional rooms with Internet access since

1995 (figure 15). Whereas the proportion of

instructional rooms with Internet access in

private schools increased from 5 percent in fall

1995 to 25 percent in the 1998-99 school year,

the proportion of public school instructional

rooms with Internet access increased from 9

percent in fall 1995 to 51 percent in fall 1998.

Between fall 1995 and 1998, the proportion of

public school instructional rooms with Internet

access increased sharply from 27 to 51 percent.

Figure 15.—Percent of instructional rooms with Internet access, by school sector: Fall 1994 to

school year 1998-99

NOTE: Private schools were surveyed in 1995 and during the school year 1998-99. Public schools were surveyed in Fall 1994 through Fall

1998.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 1994, Fall 1995, Fall 1996, and Fall 1997”; and “Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public

Schools, Fall 1998.”

3

9

14

27

51

25

5

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Public schools

Private schools

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
40

Figure 16.—Percent of schools with Internet access, by type of Internet connection and school

sector: Fall 1998 and school year 1998-99

65

22

21

65

0 20 40 60 80 100

Dedicated line

Dial-up connection

Percent

Private schools

Public schools

NOTE: Private schools were surveyed during the school year 1998-99. Public schools were surveyed in fall 1998.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999; and “Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 1998,”

FRSS 69, 1998.

Connections to the Internet

The two main types of connections examined in

the private and public school surveys were dialup connections and relatively faster connections

using dedicated lines. Overall, private schools

were considerably less likely than public schools

to connect to the Internet using dedicated lines

(figure 16). In 1998, 21 percent of private

schools compared with 65 percent of public

schools connected to the Internet used dedicated

lines. In contrast, private schools were

considerably more likely than public schools to

use dial-up connections (65 versus 22 percent).14

 

14 There are no trend data for private schools between fall 1995 and

the 1998-99 school year for types of Internet connection. The

questions asked were not comparable across surveys.

Availability of the World Wide

Web

Differences in the availability of advanced

telecommunications between private and public

schools can also be examined in terms of the

extent to which the World Wide Web (WWW)

was available to students and teachers. In 1998,

private schools were less likely than public

schools to report that the WWW was available

to students (71 versus 92 percent, figure 17).

They were also less likely to report the

availability of the WWW to teachers (84 versus

97 percent, figure 18).
41

Figure 17.—Among schools with Internet access, percent reporting that the World Wide Web was

available to students, by school sector: Fall 1995 to school year 1998-99

NOTE: Data on the availability of the World Wide Web in public schools were not collected in 1994.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 1994, Fall 1995, Fall 1996, and Fall 1997”; and “Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public

Schools, Fall 1998.”

The proportion of private schools making the

WWW available to students did not change

significantly since 1995 (figure 17). In contrast,

there was a significant increase in the proportion

of public schools reporting the availability of the

WWW to students, from 70 percent in fall 1995

to 92 percent in fall 1998. This increase holds

when the availability of the WWW to teachers in

public schools was examined (figure 18).

Extent of Use of the World Wide

Web and E-mail

A final comparison between private and public

schools is in the extent to which teachers and

students use the World Wide Web (figure 19).

In 1998, there were no significant differences in

the proportion of private and public schools

reporting that teachers use the WWW to “a large

extent.” For example, 24 percent of private

schools and 26 percent of public schools

reported that teachers used the WWW to a large

extent. Similarly, private and public schools did

not differ in the extent to which students use

these Internet capabilities to a large extent (31

and 26 percent, respectively).

The proportion of private schools reporting that

teachers or students used e-mail to a large extent

did not differ significantly from public schools

(figure 19). However, there was a difference in

the student-teacher comparison of e-mail use in

public schools, with teachers more likely than

students to use e-mail to a large extent (32

versus 10 percent). This student-teacher

difference was not statistically significant for

private schools.

70

74

90 92

70 71

0

20

40

60

80

100

1995 1996 1997 1998

Percent

Public schools

Private schools
42

Figure 18.—Among schools with Internet access, percent reporting that the World Wide Web was

available to teachers, by school sector: Fall 1995 to school year 1998-99

NOTE: Data on the availability of the World Wide Web in public schools were not collected in 1994.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 1994, Fall 1995, Fall 1996, and Fall 1997”; and “Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public

Schools, Fall 1998.”

Figure 19.—Percent of schools with Internet access reporting that teachers and students used the

World Wide Web (WWW) and e-mail to a large extent, by school sector: Fall 1998

and school year 1998-99

NOTE: Data on the availability of the World Wide Web in public schools were not collected in 1994.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools Fall 1994, Fall 1995, Fall 1996, and Fall 1997”; and “Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public

Schools, Fall 1998.”

Percent

Used WWW to

a large extent

Used e-mail to

a large extent

10

32

26

26

19

25

31

24

0 20 40 60 80 100

Students

Teachers

Students

Teachers

Private schools

Public schools

92 94 94 97

87 84

0

20

40

60

80

100

1995 1996 1997 1998

Percent

Public schools

Private schools
43

6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

This report examines the extent to which

computers and the Internet have been introduced

in U.S. private schools. While the term

“advanced telecommunications” refers to all

modes of communication used to transmit

information from one place to another, the focus

of this report is on computers and the Internet.

Specifically, this report explores the progress

private schools have made since 1995 in making

computers and the Internet available for teaching

and learning. To address some key issues in

advanced telecommunications, the report also

examines the extent to which those resources are

actually used (including school support to

encourage the effective use of computers and the

Internet), and types of federal and other support

for the expansion of advanced telecommunications in schools.

In the 1998-99 school year, private schools

reported six students per computer, including

computers used for administrative purposes.

This represented a lower level of computer

availability than is recommended by some to

allow for adequate access—four to five students

per computer (President’s Committee of

Advisors on Science and Technology 1997)—

but a higher level of availability than in fall 1995

when private schools reported nine students per

computer. Considering computer and Internet

availability for instructional purposes in the

1998-99 school year, there were 8 students per

instructional computer and 15 students per

Internet-connected instructional computer. The

proportion of private schools connected to the

Internet has also increased within recent years—

from 25 percent in fall 1995 to 67 percent in the

1998-99 school year. Moreover, if the future

plans for Internet access are realized, most

private schools (80 percent) would be connected

to the Internet by the end of this year.

However, 19 percent of private schools are not

connected to the Internet and do not have plans

to connect in the future.

Having two-thirds of private schools connected

to the Internet does not reflect the extent to

which advanced telecommunications might be

available for instruction. Therefore, private

schools were asked to report on the number of

instructional rooms with Internet connections,

types of connection, and the extent to which the

World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic mail

(e-mail) were available to various members of

the school community. In the 1998-99 school

year, 25 percent of all instructional rooms in

private schools were connected to the Internet,

compared with 5 percent in 1995. Although

dial-up connections were the most common

means of connecting to the Internet in 1998-99,

private schools have increased the availability of

higher speed connections using dedicated lines.

Almost two-thirds of private schools reported

having e-mail and WWW availability.

However, e-mail was more likely to be available

to administrators than teachers and least likely to

be available to students. Moreover, the WWW

was more likely to be available to administrators

and teachers than students.

Issues in advanced telecommunications that

have become increasingly important within

recent years relate to whether teachers and

students are making use of advanced

telecommunications already available, and the

extent to which schools have support

mechanisms in place to encourage effective use

of these technologies. Overall, 45 percent of all

private school teachers in the 1998-99 school

year regularly used computers and/or advanced

telecommunications for teaching. Moreover,

virtually all private schools with Internet access

reported at least some use of e-mail and the

World Wide Web by students, teachers, and

administrative staff, although relatively fewer

reported that these Internet capabilities were

used to a large extent. For example, 24 percent

of the schools reported that the WWW was used

by teachers to a large extent, and 31 percent
44

indicated that it was used by students to a large

extent.

The 1998-99 data suggest that private schools

are recognizing the need for school support for

advanced telecommunications use, including the

need for technology training and technical

support. A majority (64 percent) of the schools

provided or participated in some type of

advanced telecommunications training for

teachers. While the most common type of

training was on the use of computers (60

percent), about half the schools offered or

participated in training on the integration of

technology in the classroom, and 43 percent

provided or participated in training on the use of

the Internet. Among those schools that offered

or participated in some type of training, 55

percent left it up to teachers to initiate the

training, while fewer schools either mandated

(16 percent) or actively encouraged teachers

through incentives (22 percent) to participate in

technology training.

Most private schools (80 percent) indicated that

one or more individuals were primarily

responsible for supporting advanced

telecommunications in the school, while a large

majority of those schools (70 percent) relied

solely on one individual for technical assistance.

Among schools with at least one individual

responsible for providing advanced

telecommunications support, 41 percent

indicated that the technology coordinator or

other technical staff helped teachers to integrate

technology into the curriculum to a large or

moderate extent. Moreover, 42 percent of the

schools reported that network technical support

was provided to a large or moderate extent.

Given the high costs associated with advanced

telecommunications expansion, private and

public schools often have to rely on a range of

support (including federal and private sources)

to expand technology programs. In the 1998-99

school year, private schools indicated that

advanced telecommunications in the school was

supported by many sources, including several

federal programs (ranging from 2 to 15 percent)

and business or industry (22 percent). The most

frequently cited source of support was parents or

other community members (57 percent),

although the survey did not collect data on the

extent of such support. Relatively few private

schools (13 percent) reported support for

advanced telecommunications from the federal

E-rate program, which is designed to make

advanced telecommunications more affordable

to all eligible private and public schools.

Moreover, the data suggest that relatively few

private schools participated or intended to

participate in the E-rate program: 24 percent

applied for the 1998 E-rate discounts, and a

slight majority of the schools (57 percent)

reported that they were not going to apply for

1999-2000 discounts.

The proportion of private schools reporting

computer and Internet availability varied

somewhat by instructional level. For example,

secondary schools (90 percent) were more likely

than elementary or combined schools (64

percent) to be connected to the Internet.

Secondary schools were also more likely to

report e-mail and WWW availability to students

and the availability of high-speed connections

using dedicated lines. Moreover, the ratio of

students per instructional computer with Internet

access was lower at secondary and combined

schools (10 to 1) than elementary schools (24 to

1).

Catholic schools differ in some important ways

from other religious and nonsectarian schools in

the availability and use of advanced

telecommunications. For example, Catholic

schools (83 percent) were more likely than other

religious (54 percent) or nonsectarian (66

percent) schools to be connected to the Internet,

and they were also more likely to plan to gain

access by the end of this year. Moreover, a

higher proportion of Catholic than other

religious or nonsectarian schools reported

having e-mail and WWW capabilities; they were

also more likely to indicate that students used

the WWW to a large extent.

In addition, Catholic schools were more likely

than other religious or nonsectarian schools to

report that they offered or participated in any

advanced telecommunications training for

teachers, and specifically in three types of
45

training— use of computers, use of the Internet,

and integration of technology into the

curriculum. They were also more likely to

mandate training for teachers. Moreover,

compared with other religious and nonsectarian

schools, Catholic schools were more likely to

report that they applied for the 1998 E-rate

program. They were also more likely to indicate

that they had applied or plan to apply for the

1999 discounts. Finally, a higher proportion of

Catholic than other religious or nonsectarian

schools indicated that support for advanced

telecommunications in the school came in the

form of funds, hardware, training, and technical

assistance.

Private schools continue to be outpaced by

public schools in making computers and the

Internet available to students. For example,

private schools reported more students per

instructional computer with Internet access than

the ratio for public schools (15 versus 12). In

addition, private schools (67 percent) were

considerably less likely than public schools (89

percent) to be connected to the Internet, and

private schools reported proportionately fewer

instructional rooms with Internet access (25

versus 51 percent). Moreover, private schools

were less likely than public schools to report

higher speed Internet connections; for example,

21 percent of private schools with Internet

access compared with 65 percent of public

schools were connected to the Internet using

dedicated lines. However, private schools have

made considerable gains since fall 1995, some

comparable with the gains made by public

schools. For instance, the percentage increase in

the proportion of Internet-connected private

schools between fall 1995 and the 1998-99

school year is comparable to the increase for

public schools during this period (an increase of

42 percentage points for private schools and 39

percentage points for public schools).
46
47

References

Becker, H.J. (1999). Internet Use by Teachers: Conditions of Professional Use and Teacher-directed

Student Use. Available from www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/findings/Internet-Use/startpage.html.

Kirkpatrick, H. and Cuban, L. (1998). Computers Make Kids Smarter—Right? Technos Quarterly for

Education and Technology. 7, (Summer 1998).

Milken Exchange on Education Technology. (1999). Facts & Figures, by C. Lemke and S. Shaw.

President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, Panel on Educational Technology.

(1997). Report to the President on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K-12 Education in the

United States. Available from www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OSTP/NSTC/PCAST/K12ed.html#exec.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1996a). How Different, How

Similar? Comparing Key Organizational Qualities of American Public and Private schools, by D.

Baker, M. Han, and C.T. Keil, NCES 96-322, Washington, DC, 35.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1996b). Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, K-12, NCES 95-731.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1996c). Getting America

Ready for the 21st Century: Meeting the Technology Literacy Challenge. A Report to the Nation on

Technology and Education. Available from www.ed.gov.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1997a). Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools K-12: Fall 1995, by S. Heaviside and L. Farris.

NCES 97-394

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1997b). Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, 1995, NCES 96-854.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (1998a). Administration EDTech

Goals. Available from www.ed.gov.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1998b). Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, Fall 1996, NCES 97-944.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1999a). Private School

Universe Survey, 1997-98, by S. P. Broughman and L. A. Colaciello, NCES 1999-319. Available

from nces.ed.gov/pubs99/1999319.pdf.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1999b). Internet Access in

Public Schools, NCES 98-031.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2000a). Internet Access in

Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-98, NCES 1999-017.
48

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2000b). What are the Barriers

to the Use of Advanced Telecommunications for Students with Disabilities in Public Schools?

NCES 2000-042.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2000c). Internet Access in

Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-1999, NCES 2000-086.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2000d). Teacher Use of

Computers and the Internet in Public Schools, NCES 2000-090.

U.S. Department of Education. (2000e). E-Rate and the Digital Divide: A Preliminary Analysis From the

Integrated Studies of Educational Technology, Report prepared for the U.S. Department of

Education by M. Puma, D. Chaplin, and A. Pape.

U.S. Department of Education. (2000f). Table prepared for the U.S. Department of Education from the

Private School Survey, 1997-98 and Common Core of Data, Public School Universe, 1997.
APPENDIX A

Survey Methodology and Data Reliability
A-1

Survey Methodology and Data Reliability

Sample Selection

The sampling frame for the FRSS Survey on

Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Private

Schools: 1998-99 was constructed from the

1997-98 NCES Private School Survey (PSS)

Universe File, the most recent file available at

the time the sample was selected. The PSS

Universe File has two components: list frame

and area sample. The complete file represents

27,402 schools, including 8,182 Catholic

schools, 13,195 schools with religious

affiliations other than Catholic, and 6,025

nonsectarian schools. By level, the file

represents 16,623 elementary schools, 2,487

secondary schools, and 8,292 combined

elementary/secondary grades schools.

A private school was defined as a school not in

the public system that provides instruction for

any of grades 1 - 12 (or comparable ungraded

levels) where the instruction was not provided in

a private home. All regular private elementary,

secondary, and combined schools in the 50

states and the District of Columbia were

included in the sampling frame. Special

education, vocational, early childhood/day care,

and alternative schools, and schools having a

high grade of prekindergarten, transitional

kindergarten, kindergarten, or ungraded were

excluded from the frame prior to sampling.

Thus, the final sampling frame included 24,128

eligible private schools enrolling over 5.2

million students (table A-1).

The private school sampling frame was sorted

by type of locale (city, urban fringe, town, and

rural). Within the primary strata, schools were

also sorted by level (elementary, secondary,

combined), affiliation (Catholic, other religious,

nonsectarian), and school size (under 100, 100-

299, 300-499, 500-999, 1,000 or more). Schools

were then selected from each primary stratum

with probabilities proportional to wi

, where wi is

the weight reflecting the school’s probability of

inclusion in the area sample (for schools in the

PSS list frame, wi

 = 1). The within-stratum

sampling rates were designed to yield selfweighted samples of schools in each primary

stratum. Although the samples were selfweighted within primary strata, the overall

probabilities varied by school size, with larger

schools having higher probabilities of selection

than smaller ones. Such a design is reasonably

efficient for estimating the proportion or number

of schools with specified characteristics (e.g.,

the proportion of private schools with access to

the Internet), as well as statistics that are

correlated with enrollment (e.g., the percent of

private school students or teachers who have

access to the Internet).

Respondents and Response Rates

In February 1999, survey instruments (see

Appendix C) were mailed the heads of 999

private schools, who were asked to forward the

questionnaire to the person most knowledgeable

about the availability and use of advanced

telecommunications at the school. The

accompanying instructions requested that the

school complete the self-administered

questionnaire and return it by mail using the

postage-paid envelope or by fax using a toll-free

number. Telephone followup was conducted

with schools that did not complete the survey.

Of the 999 schools in the sample, 16 were found

to be out of the scope of the survey, for a total of

983 eligible schools. The unweighted response

rate was 86 percent. The weighted response rate

was 84 percent.
A-2

Table A-1.—Number and percentage distribution of private schools in the study and the estimated

number and percentage distribution of schools and students in the nation, by selected

school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Respondent sample of schools National estimates of schools National estimates of students School characteristic

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 [In millions]

All private schools.......................... 844 100 22,941 100 5.3 100

Affiliation

Catholic........................................... 361 43 8,024 35 2.7 50

Other religious ................................ 316 37 11,397 50 1.8 35

Nonsectarian ................................... 164 19 3,371 15 0.7 14

Instructional level

Elementary...................................... 437 52 15,015 65 3.1 81

Secondary ....................................... 224 27 2,045 9 0.7 14

Combined........................................ 183 22 5,881 26 1.4 27

Internet access

Has access....................................... 656 78 15,623 67 4.2 81

No access ........................................ 18 22 7,831 33 1.0 19

Enrollment size

Less than 150 .................................. 223 26 10,402 45 0.7 14

150 to 299 ....................................... 233 28 6,832 30 1.5 29

300 or more..................................... 388 46 5,707 25 3.0 58

Type of locale

City ................................................. 395 47 9,213 39 2.6 49

Urban fringe.................................... 305 36 8,254 35 2.0 38

Town............................................... 92 11 3,370 14 0.5 9

Rural ............................................... 58 7 2,617 11 0.2 5

Geographic region

Northeast......................................... 225 27 5,453 23 1.4 27

Southeast......................................... 179 21 4,893 21 1.2 23

Central ............................................ 243 29 7,292 31 1.5 28

West................................................ 203 24 5,816 25 1.2 23

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.......................... 188 23 5,969 27 1.1 21

6 to 20 percent................................. 296 36 7,086 32 2.0 38

21 to 49 percent............................... 187 23 4,546 20 1.2 24

50 percent or more .......................... 157 19 4,746 21 0.9 17

NOTE: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
A-3

Sampling and Nonsampling Errors

Survey responses were weighted to produce

national estimates. For estimation purposes,

sampling weights were attached to each school

data record. The sampling weights reflect each

school’s overall probability of selection and

include upward adjustments to compensate for

differential nonresponse. The findings in this

report are estimates based on the sample selected

and, consequently, are subject to sampling

variability.

The survey estimates are also subject to

nonsampling errors that can arise because of

nonobservation (nonresponse or noncoverage)

errors, errors of reporting, and errors made in

collection of the data. These errors can

sometimes bias the data. Nonsampling errors

may include such problems as the differences in

the respondents' interpretation of the meaning of

the questions; memory effects; misrecording of

responses; incorrect editing, coding, and data

entry; differences related to the particular time

and place the survey was conducted; or errors in

data preparation. While general sampling theory

can be used in part to determine how to estimate

the sampling variability of a statistic,

nonsampling errors are difficult to measure and,

for measurement purposes, usually require that

an experiment be conducted as part of the data

collection procedures or that data external to the

study be used.

To minimize the potential for nonsampling

errors, the survey was pretested with private

school technology directors and coordinators

and other individuals knowledgeable about the

availability and use of advanced

telecommunications. During the survey design

process and the survey pretest, an effort was

made to check for consistency of interpretation

of questions and to eliminate ambiguous terms

as a result. The questionnaire and instructions

were extensively reviewed NCES. Manual and

machine editing of the questionnaire responses

were conducted to check the data for accuracy

and consistency. Cases with missing or

inconsistent items were recontacted by telephone

to resolve problems. Data were keyed with 100

percent verification.

Variability

The standard error is a measure of the variability

of estimates due to sampling. It indicates the

variability of a sample estimate that would be

obtained from all possible samples of a given

design and size. Standard errors are used as a

measure of the precision expected from a

particular sample. If all possible samples were

surveyed under similar conditions, intervals of

1.96 standard errors below to 1.96 standard

errors above a particular statistic would include

the true population parameter being estimated in

about 95 percent of the samples. This is known

as a 95 percent confidence interval. For

example, the estimated percentage of private

schools with Internet access is 67 percent, and

the standard error is 2.1 percent. The 95

confidence interval for the statistic extends from

67 - (2.1 x 1.96) to 67 + (2.1 x 1.96), or from 63

percent to 71 percent.

To properly reflect the complex features of the

sample design, standard errors of the surveybased estimates were calculated using jackknife

replication. As with any replication method,

jackknife replication involves constructing a

number of subsamples (replicates) from the full

sample and computing the statistic of interest for

each replicate. The mean square error of the

replicate estimates around the full sample

estimate provides an estimate of the variances of

the statistics. To construct the replications, 50

stratified subsamples of the full sample were

created and then dropped one at a time to define

50 jackknife replicates. A computer program,

WesVarPC, was used to calculate the estimates

of standard errors. WesVarPC is a stand-alone

Windows application that computes sampling

error for a wide variety of statistics (totals,

percents, ratios, log-end ratios, general functions

of estimates in tables, linear regression

parameters, and logistic regression parameters).

Bonferroni adjustments were made to control for

multiple comparisons where appropriate. For
A-4

example, for an "experimentwise" comparison

involving g pairwise comparisons, each

difference was tested at the 0.05/g significance

level to control for the fact that g differences

were simultaneously tested.

Terms Defined on the Survey

Instrument

Advanced telecommunications - refers to

modes of communication used to transmit

information from one place to another

including broadcast and interactive television,

networked computers, etc.

Cable modem - provides greater bandwidth

from Internet Service Providers that enables

faster data transfer than is possible using a

33.6 kbps modem, 56 kbps modem, or 128

kbps ISDN connection. Cable networks are

supplied by cable companies and generally use

fiber-optic cabling to form connections,

although some cable companies may rely on

co-axial cabling.

DS1 - refers to a service with digital

transmission speed of 1.544 Mega (million)

bits per second.

DS3 - refers to a service with digital

transmission speed of 45 Mega (million) bits

per second.

Dedicated line - type of account available from

an Internet Service Provider where the

customer is connected to the Internet 24 hours

a day on his/her own individual phone line.

This connection is made without a modem.

Dial-up connection - customer is only

connected to the Internet when his/her modem

dials the Internet Service Provider's telephone

number to establish the connection.

Distance learning - refers to the transmission of

information from one geographic location to

another via various modes of

telecommunications technology. For example,

an advanced high school math class in

Richmond, Virginia, could receive a collegelevel math seminar from the University of

Virginia via two-way video.

E-mail (Electronic mail) - refers to text

messages transmitted across networks and

usually accessible only by the addressee.

E-rate/Universal Service Schools and

Libraries Telecommunication Discount

Program - fund created as part of the

Telecommunications Act of 1996 to ensure

that all eligible schools (public and private)

and libraries in the United States have

affordable access to modern telecommunications and information services.

Schools and Libraries Discount Matrix

Percent of students eligible Discount level

for national school lunch

program

Urban

discount

percentage

Rural discount

percentage

<1 ..................................... 20 25

1-19 .................................. 40 50

20-34 ................................ 50 60

35-49 ................................ 60 70

50-74 ................................ 80 80

75-100 .............................. 90 90

56Kb - a digital transmission speed of 56 Kilo

(thousand) bits per second.

Fractionalized T1 - T1 line that is split to allow

for data communication and voice

communication (as opposed to a T1 line used

for data communication only).

Fractionalized T3 - T3 line that is split to allow

for data communication and voice

communication (as opposed to a T3 line used

for data communication only).

Instructional rooms - refers to rooms in the

school building used for any instructional

purposes (includes classrooms, labs,

library/media centers, art rooms, rooms used

for vocational or special education, etc.).

Interactive television/computer with two-way

audio/visual - television or computer having

two-way audio and/or visual capabilities that
A-5

can be used for distance learning or video

conferencing.

Internet - refers to a collection of computer

networks interconnected by TCP/IP protocols,

sharing the same underlying network address

space as well as the same domain name space,

and interconnected into a network of

information.

Intranet - internal network within a school or

business that is based on the same technology

as the Internet rather than traditional local area

network (LAN) software.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) -

phone line that moves data digitally and

integrates voice and data.

Local area network (LAN) - refers to the

linkage of computers and/or peripherals (e.g.,

printer) confined to a limited area that may

consist of a room, building, or campus that

allows users to communicate and share

information.

Modem - refers to a device that connects

between a computer and a phone line to

translate between the digital signal of the

computer and the analog signal required for

telephone transmission.

Multimedia - refers to a computer using any

combination of text, full color images and

graphics, video, animation, and sound.

T1 - refers to a line with digital transmission

speed of 1.544 Mega (million) bits per second.

T3 - refers to a line with digital transmission

speed of 45 Mega (million) bits per second.

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant -

program provides funding for teacher

preparation and professional development

activities that support the integration of

educational technology into the curriculum.

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund -

program provides funding to states to

effectively increase the capacity of their

schools to integrate educational technology

into classrooms.

Title VI - program provides funding for the

development of effective curriculum and

instruction activities to meet the needs of

public schools and participating private

schools.

Video conferencing - conference between two

or more participants at different locations over

the Internet or a private network. Each user

has a video camera, microphone, and speakers

mounted on his/her computer. As the

participants speak to one another, they hear

each other's voices and see a video image of

the other participant(s).

Wide area network - refers to a data

communications linkage designed to connect

computers over distances greater than the

distance transmitted by local area networks

(e.g., building to building, city to city, across

the country, or internationally), that allows

users to communicate and share information,

such as the Internet, America Online,

CompuServe, etc.

Wireless connection - refers to the connections

to the Internet that do not use wire or cable.

World Wide Web (WWW) - refers to a system

that allows access to information sites all over

the world using a standard, common interface

to organize and search for information. The

WWW simplifies the location and retrieval of

various forms of information including text,

audio, and video files. It is the "multimedia"

portion of the Internet.

Definitions of Analysis Variables

School affiliation - Schools were classified

according to their affiliation as identified on the

Private School Survey (PSS) Universe File.

Catholic - schools affiliated with the

Catholic Church.
A-6

Other religious - schools affiliated with

religions or with a religious orientation

other than Catholic.

Nonsectarian - schools that are not

affiliated with a church or a religious

orientation.

School instructional level - Schools were

classified according to their grade span in the PSS

Universe File.

Elementary - a school that had grade 6

or lower, or "ungraded" and no grade

higher than 8th. It would include schools

comprised of students in grades 1

through 6, students in grades 7 and 8

when the remainder of the students in the

school are in the lower grades or are

ungraded, and students in ungraded

classes in schools with no grade higher

than the 8th grade.

Secondary - a school that had no grade

lower than the 7th, or "ungraded" and

had grade 7 or higher. This category

includes schools composed of students

in grades 9 through 12, students in grades

7 and 8 when the remainder of the

students in the school are in grades above

8th or are ungraded, and students in

ungraded classes in schools with no

grade lower than 7th.

Combined - a school that has grades

higher than the 8th and lower than the

7th. It includes schools composed of

students in any grade in schools that

range below grade 7 and above grade 8,

or of students that are all in ungraded

classes.

School enrollment size - total number of students

enrolled as defined by the PSS Universe File.

Less than 150 - considered schools with

relatively small enrollments for analytical

purposes.

150-299 - considered medium-sized

schools for analytical purposes.

300 or more - considered large schools

for analytical purposes.

Metropolitan status - as defined in the PSS

Universe File.

City - a central city of a Standard

Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA).

Urban fringe - a place within an SMSA

of a large or mid-size central city and

defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of

the Census.

Town - a place not within an SMSA, but

with a population greater than or equal to

2,500, and defined as urban by the U.S.

Bureau of the Census.

Rural - a place with a population less

than 2,500 and defined as rural by the

U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Geographic region -

Northeast - Connecticut, Delaware,

District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode

Island, and Vermont.

Southeast - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,

Mississippi, North Carolina, South

Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West

Virginia.

Central - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,

Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South

Dakota, and Wisconsin.

West - Alaska, Arizona, California,

Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,

Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma,
A-7

Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and

Wyoming.

Percent minority enrollment -

Less than 5 percent - less than 5 percent

of the students enrolled in the school

were American Indian or Alaskan

Native; Asian or Pacific Islander;

Hispanic, regardless of race (Mexican,

Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South

American, or other Spanish culture or

origin); or black (not of Hispanic origin).

5 to 19 percent - between 5 and 19

percent of the students enrolled in the

school were members of a racial/ethnic

minority.

20 to 49 percent - between 20 and 49

percent of the students enrolled in the

school were members of a racial/ethnic

minority.

50 percent or more - between 50 and

100 percent of the students enrolled in

the school were members of a

racial/ethnic minority.

Background Information

The survey was performed under contract with

Westat, using the NCES Fast Response Survey

System (FRSS). Westat's Project Officer was

Elizabeth Farris, the survey manager was

Rebecca Skinner, and the main author was

Basmat Parsad. Westat’s operations manager

was Debbie Alexander and the research assistant

for the project was Anne Cattagni. Shelley

Burns was the NCES Project Officer. The data

were requested by Jack Klenk of the Office of

Non-Public Education, U.S. Department of

Education.

This report was reviewed by the following

individuals:

Outside NCES

 Jefferson G. Burnett, National Association

of Independent Schools

 Michelle Doyle, Office of Non-Public

Education, U.S. Department of Education

 Jack Klenk, Office of Non-Public

Education, U.S. Department of Education

 Sister Dale McDonald, National Catholic

Education Association

 Joseph McTighe, Council on American

Private Education

 Becky Smerdon, American Institutes for

Research

 David Miller, American Institutes for

Research

 Doug Levin, American Institutes for

Research

Inside NCES

 Stephen P. Broughman, Elementary,

Secondary, and Library Studies Division

 Ellen Bradburn, Early Childhood,

International, and Crosscutting Studies

Division

 Edith McArthur, Early Childhood,

International, and Crosscutting Studies

Division

 Bruce Taylor, Office of Deputy

Commissioner

 Lawrence Ogle, Assessment Division

For a copy of the questionnaire, Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools,

1998-99, or for more information about the Fast

Response Survey System, contact Shelley

Burns, Early Childhood, International and

Crosscutting Studies Division, National Center

for Education Statistics, Office of Educational

Resarch and Improvement, U.S. Department of

Education, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC

20006, e-mail: Shelley_Burns@ed.gov,

telephone (202) 502-7348. This report and other

NCES reports are available on the NCES Web

site at http://nces.ed.gov.
B-1

APPENDIX B

Detailed Tables of Estimates and

Tables of Standard Errors

for the 1998-99 FRSS Survey
B-2
B-3

Table of Contents

Table Page

B-1. Mean number of computers and instructional computers in private schools, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................ B-10

B-1a. Standard errors of the mean number of computers and instructional computers

in private schools, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99..................... B-11

B-2. Ratio of private school students to computer and instructional computer, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................ B-12

B-2a. Standard errors of the ratio of private school students to computer and

instructional computer, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99............. B-13

B-3. Percent of private schools in which selected types of advanced

telecommunications equipment are available and the specific location of the

equipment within the school: School year 1998-99............................................. B-14

B-3a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools in which selected types of

advanced telecommunications equipment are available and the specific

location of the equipment within the school: School year 1998-99..................... B-15

B-4. Percent of private schools in which selected telecommunications equipment

are available, and of these schools, percentage in which the equipment is also

available in at least one classroom, by type of equipment and school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-16

B-4a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools in which selected

telecommunications equipment are available, and of these schools, standard

errors of the percentage in which the equipment is also available in at least

one classroom, by type of equipment and school characteristics: School year

1998-99................................................................................................................. B-17

B-5. Percent of private schools with Internet access and percentage of students

enrolled in private schools with Internet access, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99............................................................................................. B-18

B-5a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools with Internet access and

percentage of students enrolled in private schools with Internet access, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................ B-19

B-6. Percent of private schools without Internet access, and percent that plan to

gain Internet access in the future, by year that Internet access is planned and

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................ B-20

B-6a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools without Internet access, and

percent that plan to gain Internet access in the future, by year that Internet

access is planned and school characteristics: School year 1998-99..................... B-21
B-4

Table of Contents (continued)

Table Page

B-7. Among private schools with Internet access, mean number of computers with

Internet access, mean number of instructional computers with Internet access,

and mean number of computers capable of having Internet access that do not

currently have Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 . B-22

B-7a. Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the mean

number of computers with Internet access, mean number of instructional

computers with Internet access, and mean number of computers capable of

having Internet access that do not currently have Internet access, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-23

B-8. Among private schools with Internet access, ratio of students to instructional

computers with Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-

99 .......................................................................................................................... B-24

B-8a. Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the ratio of

students to instructional computers with Internet access, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-25

B-9. Mean number of private school instructional rooms, mean number of

instructional rooms having a computer used for instructional purposes, and

mean number of instructional rooms having a computer with access to the

Internet, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 .................................... B-26

B-9a. Standard errors of the mean number of private school instructional rooms,

mean number of instructional rooms having a computer used for instructional

purposes, and mean number of instructional rooms having a computer with

access to the Internet, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ............... B-27

B-10. Percent of private school instructional rooms with a computer with Internet

access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99....................................... B-28

B-10a. Standard errors of the percent of private school instructional rooms with a

computer with Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 . B-29

B-11. Among private schools with Internet access, percentage distribution of schools

indicating the number of instructional rooms with Internet access, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-30

B-11a. Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percentage

distribution of schools indicating the number of instructional rooms with

Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ......................... B-31

B-12. Among private schools with Internet access, percentage distribution of schools

indicating the number of classrooms with Internet access, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-32
B-5

Table of Contents (continued)

Table Page

B-12a. Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percentage

distribution of schools indicating the number of classrooms with Internet

access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99....................................... B-33

B-13. Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools reporting

various types of Internet connection, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99................................................................................................................. B-34

B-13a. Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percent of

schools reporting various types of Internet connection, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-35

B-14. Percent of private schools with Internet access connecting to the Internet with

dedicated lines, by specific type of dedicated line and school characteristics:

School year 1998-99............................................................................................. B-36

B-14a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools with Internet access

connecting to the Internet with dedicated lines, by specific type of dedicated

line and school characteristics: School year 1998-99 .......................................... B-37

B-15. Percent of private schools indicating that e-mail was available in the school

and to members of the school community, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ......................................................................................................... B-38

B-15a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating that e-mail was

available in the school and to members of the school community, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-39

B-16. Percent of private schools indicating that the World Wide Web was available

in the school and to members of the school community, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-40

B-16a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating that the World

Wide Web was available in the school and to members of the school

community, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99............................... B-41

B-17. Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools with a Web

page on the World Wide Web and percentage of schools with a computer

system that can be accessed by students from home, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99............................................................................................. B-42

B-17a. Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percent of

schools with a Web page on the World Wide Web and percentage of schools

with a computer system that can be accessed by students from home, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................ B-43
B-6

Table of Contents (continued)

Table Page

B-18. Percent of private school teachers who regularly use computers/advanced

telecommunications for teaching as reported by private schools, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-44

B-18a. Standard errors of the percent of private school teachers who regularly use

computers/advanced telecommunications for teaching as reported by private

schools, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99..................................... B-45

B-19. Percent of private schools using computers/advanced telecommunications for

distance learning, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99...................... B-46

B-19a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools using computers/advanced

telecommunications for distance learning, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ......................................................................................................... B-47

B-20. Among private schools with Internet access and e-mail availability,

percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of e-mail use for

various members of the school community, by selected school characteristics:

School year 1998-99............................................................................................. B-48

B-20a. Among private schools with Internet access and e-mail availability, standard

errors of the percentage of schools indicating the extent of e-mail use for

various members of the school community, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ......................................................................................................... B-49

B-21. Among private schools with Internet access and World Wide Web access,

percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of World Wide Web

use for various members of the school community, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99............................................................................................. B-50

B-21a. Among private schools with Internet access and World Wide Web access,

standard errors of the percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent

of World Wide Web use for various members of the school community, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................ B-51

B-22. Percent of private schools offering or participating in advanced

telecommunications training for teachers, by type of training and school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-52

B-22a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools offering or participating in

advanced telecommunications training for teachers, by type of training and

school characteristics: School year 1998-99........................................................ B-53
B-7

Table of Contents (continued)

Table Page

B-23. Among private schools that offered or participated in advanced

telecommunications training for teachers, percentage distribution of schools

using various methods of encouragement for teacher training, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-54

B-23a. Among private schools that offered or participated in advanced

telecommunications training for teachers, standard errors of the percentage

distribution of schools using various methods of encouragement for teacher

training, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 .................................... B-55

B-24. Percentage distribution of private schools reporting the various individuals

primarily responsible for supporting advanced telecommunications in the

school, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ...................................... B-56

B-24a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools reporting the

various individuals primarily responsible for supporting advanced

telecommunications in the school, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99................................................................................................................. B-57

B-25. Among private schools with at least one individual providing support for

advanced telecommunications, percentage distribution of schools indicating

the number of individuals providing support, by level of support and school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-58

B-25a. Among private schools with at least one individual providing support for

advanced telecommunications, standard errors of the percentage distribution

of schools indicating the number of individuals providing support, by level of

support and school characteristics: School year 1998-99 .................................... B-59

B-26. Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may help teachers integrate technology into the

curriculum, percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of help,

by school characteristics: School year 1998-99................................................... B-60

B-26a. Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may help teachers integrate technology into the

curriculum, standard errors of the percentage distribution of schools indicating

the extent of help, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99..................... B-61

B-27. Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may provide network technical support, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of support, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-62
B-8

Table of Contents (continued)

Table Page

B-27a. Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may provide network technical support, standard

errors of the percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of

support, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99..................................... B-63

B-28. Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced telecommunications that may involve students in the maintenance of

telecommunications systems, percentage distribution of schools indicating the

extent of involvement, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99.............. B-64

B-28a. Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced telecommunications that may involve students in the maintenance of

telecommunications systems, standard errors of the percentage distribution of

schools indicating the extent of involvement, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99 ......................................................................................................... B-65

B-29. Percentage distribution of private schools reporting the extent to which

various factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of

computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99 ........................ B-66

B-29a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools reporting the

extent to which various factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of

computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99 ........................ B-67

B-30. Percentage distribution of private schools with Internet access reporting the

extent to which various factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of

computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99 ........................ B-68

B-30a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools with Internet

access reporting the extent to which various factors were barriers to either the

acquisition or use of computers/advanced telecommunications: School year

1998-99................................................................................................................. B-69

B-31. Percentage distribution of private schools without Internet access reporting the

extent to which various factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of

computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99 ........................ B-70

B-31a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools without

Internet access reporting the extent to which various factors were barriers to

either the acquisition or use of computers/advanced telecommunications:

School year 1998-99............................................................................................. B-71

B-32. Percentage of private schools indicating the various programs, organizations,

or individuals that support advanced telecommunications in the school:

School year 1998-99............................................................................................. B-72
B-9

Table of Contents (continued)

Table Page

B-32a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating the various

programs, organizations, or individuals that support advanced

telecommunications in the school: School year 1998-99 .................................... B-73

B-33. Percent of private schools indicating the various types of support for advanced

telecommunications in the school, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99................................................................................................................. B-74

B-33a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating the various types

of support for advanced telecommunications in the school, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-75

B-34. Percent of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program,

by school characteristics: School year 1998-99................................................... B-76

B-34a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools that applied for the 1998 Erate discount program, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99.............. B-77

B-35. Percent of private schools that did not apply for the 1998 E-rate discount

program, and percent giving various reasons for not applying, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-78

B-35a. Standard errors of the percent of private schools that did not apply for the

1998 E-rate discount program, and percent giving various reasons for not

applying, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99................................... B-79

B-36. Of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate program, percentage

distribution of the percent discount for which they were eligible, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-80

B-36a. Of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate program, standard errors of

the percentage distribution of the percent discount for which they were

eligible, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99..................................... B-81

B-37. Percentage distribution of private schools indicating their decision to apply or

not apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate discount program, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................................................... B-82

B-37a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools indicating

their decision to apply or not apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate discount

program, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99 ................................... B-83
B-10

Table Page

B-38. Ratio of students to instructional computer and ratio of students to

instructional computer with Internet access, by school sector, affiliation, and

level: School year 1998-99 ................................................................................... B-85

B-38a. Standard errors of the ratio of students to instructional computer and ratio of

students to instructional computer with Internet access, by school sector,

affiliation, and level: School year 1998-99........................................................... B-86
B-11

Table B-1.—Mean number of computers and instructional computers in private schools, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Mean number

of computers

Mean number of instructional

computers

All private schools...................................................................... 37 29

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 49 41

Other religious ............................................................................ 24 19

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 53 39

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 28 24

Secondary ................................................................................... 72 50

Combined.................................................................................... 44 35

Internet access

Has access................................................................................... 48 38

No access .................................................................................... 14 11

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 14 11

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 34 28

300 or more................................................................................. 85 67

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 46 38

Urban fringe................................................................................ 38 30

Town........................................................................................... 21 17

Rural ........................................................................................... 18 14

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 44 35

Southeast..................................................................................... 37 30

Central ........................................................................................ 33 27

West............................................................................................ 34 26

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 27 23

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 49 39

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 46 37

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 23 19

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-12

Table B-1a.—Standard errors of the mean number of computers and instructional computers in

private schools, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Mean number

of computers

Mean number of instructional

computers

All private schools...................................................................... 1.1 0.9

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 1.3 1.2

Other religious ............................................................................ 1.0 0.9

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 5.4 3.7

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 0.9 0.9

Secondary ................................................................................... 7.8 5.2

Combined.................................................................................... 3.0 2.5

Internet access

Has access................................................................................... 1.8 1.5

No access .................................................................................... 1.1 0.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 1.1 0.9

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 1.1 1.0

300 or more................................................................................. 2.9 2.4

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 2.4 2.2

Urban fringe................................................................................ 2.2 1.6

Town........................................................................................... 2.0 1.5

Rural ........................................................................................... 1.9 1.4

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 3.3 2.6

Southeast..................................................................................... 3.5 2.9

Central ........................................................................................ 2.3 2.0

West............................................................................................ 2.2 2.0

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 2.1 1.8

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 2.8 2.2

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 3.2 2.7

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 1.8 1.6

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-13

Table B-2.—Ratio of private school students to computer and instructional computer, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Number of students

per computer

Number of students per

instructional computer

All private schools............................................................................. 6 8

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 7 8

Other religious ................................................................................... 7 9

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 4 6

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 7 8

Secondary .......................................................................................... 5 7

Combined........................................................................................... 5 7

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 6 7

No access ........................................................................................... 9 12

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 5 6

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 7 8

300 or more........................................................................................ 6 8

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 6 7

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 6 8

Town.................................................................................................. 7 8

Rural .................................................................................................. 5 7

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 6 7

Southeast............................................................................................ 6 8

Central ............................................................................................... 6 8

West................................................................................................... 6 8

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 7 8

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 6 7

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 6 7

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 8 10

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-14

Table B-2a.—Standard errors of the ratio of private school students to computer and instructional

computer, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Number of students

per computer

Number of students per

instructional computer

All private schools............................................................................. 0.2 0.2

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 0.2 0.2

Other religious ................................................................................... 0.3 0.4

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 0.3 0.4

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 0.2 0.3

Secondary .......................................................................................... 0.2 0.3

Combined........................................................................................... 0.3 0.5

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 0.2 0.2

No access ........................................................................................... 0.7 0.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 0.4 0.6

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 0.2 0.3

300 or more........................................................................................ 0.2 0.3

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 0.2 0.3

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 0.3 0.3

Town.................................................................................................. 0.5 0.5

Rural .................................................................................................. 0.6 0.7

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 0.3 0.4

Southeast............................................................................................ 0.4 0.6

Central ............................................................................................... 0.3 0.4

West................................................................................................... 0.3 0.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 0.3 0.4

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 0.2 0.3

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 0.3 0.4

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 0.5 0.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-15

Table B-3.—Percent of private schools in which selected types of advanced telecommunications

equipment are available and the specific location of the equipment within the school:

School year 1998-99

Location of equipment

Type of equipment

Percent of

schools having

access

Administrative

offices Classrooms Computer labs Library/mediacenters

Other

instructional

rooms

Computer connected to a local area

network ........................................... 49 79 51 68 45 31

Computer with modem........................ 73 81 41 50 31 18

Computer with connection or access

to the Internet.................................. 67 79 44 56 41 21

Computer with connection or access

to an Intranet ................................... 19 86 61 75 54 30

Stand-alone computer (i.e., not

connected to any network).............. 85 68 83 52 42 39

Computer with multimedia

capabilities (e.g., CD-ROM,

speakers .......................................... 81 83 69 70 48 35

Interactive television/computer with

two-way audio/visual ...................... 12 12 54 65 38 28

NOTE: Schools could report more than one location for each type of equipment.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-16

Table B-3a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools in which selected types of advanced

telecommunications equipment are available and the specific location of the

equipment within the school: School year 1998-99

Location of equipment

Type of equipment

Percent of

schools having

access

Administrative

offices Classrooms Computer labs Library/mediacenters

Other

instructional

rooms

Computer connected to a local area

network ........................................... 1.7 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.0 2.5

Computer with modem........................ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.2 1.6 1.9

Computer with connection or access

to the Internet.................................. 2.1 1.7 2.5 2.3 1.7 1.9

Computer with connection or access

to an Intranet ................................... 1.4 3.2 4.3 3.5 3.8 3.5

Stand-alone computer (i.e., not

connected to any network).............. 1.6 2.4 1.6 2.2 1.9 2.1

Computer with multimedia

capabilities (e.g., CD-ROM,

speakers .......................................... 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.2 1.7 2.1

Interactive television/computer with

two-way audio/visual ...................... 1.0 3.1 5.6 4.5 5.4 4.4

NOTE: Schools could report more than one location for each type of equipment.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-17

Table B-4.—Percent of private schools in which selected telecommunications equipment are

available, and of these schools, percentage in which the equipment is also available in

at least one classroom, by type of equipment and school characteristics: School year

1998-99

Computer with modem

Computer with

connection/access to

Internet

Computer with

connection/access to

Intranet

Stand-alone computer

School characteristic

Available in

school

Available in

classroom1

Available in

school

Available in

classroom1

Available in

school

Available in

classroom1

Available in

school

Available in

classroom1

All private schools...... 73 41 67 44 19 61 85 83

Affiliation

Catholic....................... 88 32 85 40 24 60 93 84

Other religious ............ 63 44 54 44 13 55 81 83

Nonsectarian ............... 74 51 67 51 28 70 84 78

Instructional level

Elementary.................. 74 41 65 40 19 59 85 84

Secondary ................... 83 39 91 58 27 68 85 80

Combined.................... 67 42 63 44 16 64 87 83

Internet access

Has access................... 91 42 99 45 27 61 91 86

No access .................... 37 35 5 0 3 55 75 76

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............. 60 52 49 42 7 66 79 82

150 to 299 ................... 85 34 78 37 24 48 93 84

300 or more................. 81 31 86 51 36 68 88 82

Type of locale

City ............................. 78 38 74 42 24 65 89 85

Urban fringe................ 75 34 64 42 21 51 85 79

Town........................... 63 57 64 51 9 72 81 85

Rural ........................... 64 54 58 45 9 80 80 86

Geographic region

Northeast..................... 75 28 65 38 18 66 84 76

Southeast..................... 69 38 67 40 16 53 88 85

Central ........................ 76 54 72 46 19 49 83 88

West............................ 72 38 64 48 22 75 88 82

Percent minority

enrollment

Less than 6 percent...... 59 48 59 53 15 59 77 81

6 to 20 percent............. 77 34 75 40 20 64 93 84

21 to 49 percent........... 81 40 77 50 26 65 89 86

50 percent or more ...... 77 41 55 27 14 39 84 80 1 This estimate is based on the percentage of schools that had the equipment or service available in at least one classroom.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-18

Table B-4a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools in which selected

telecommunications equipment are available, and of these schools, standard errors of

the percentage in which the equipment is also available in at least one classroom, by

type of equipment and school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Computer with modem

Computer with

connection/access to

Internet

Computer with

connection/access to

Intranet

Stand-alone computer

School characteristic

Available in

school

Available in

classroom

Available in

school

Available in

classroom

Available in

school

Available in

classroom

Available in

school

Available in

classroom

All private schools...... 2.0 2.2 2.1 2.5 1.4 4.3 1.6 1.6

Affiliation

Catholic....................... 2.0 2.9 2.1 3.3 3.0 6.6 1.4 2.6

Other religious ............ 3.6 4.0 3.3 4.2 1.7 7.2 3.0 2.6

Nonsectarian ............... 3.7 4.7 4.3 5.3 3.5 6.6 3.3 4.1

Instructional level

Elementary.................. 2.0 2.9 2.1 3.1 2.0 5.7 2.0 2.3

Secondary ................... 3.0 6.3 2.9 4.5 4.1 6.5 3.6 3.1

Combined.................... 4.9 5.4 4.6 5.5 2.0 7.1 3.1 3.0

Internet access

Has access................... 1.1 2.9 0.6 2.6 2.1 4.6 1.5 1.5

No access .................... 3.8 5.6 1.6 0.0 1.0 24.9 4.1 4.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............. 3.7 4.3 3.6 5.4 1.7 13.4 3.3 2.9

150 to 299 ................... 2.8 3.6 2.9 4.0 3.4 7.9 1.8 2.8

300 or more................. 2.1 2.8 2.2 2.9 2.4 4.4 1.7 2.1

Type of locale

City ............................. 2.4 2.9 2.9 3.4 2.5 5.7 2.1 1.6

Urban fringe................ 3.3 3.8 3.1 4.4 2.1 6.7 2.8 3.1

Town........................... 6.3 7.5 5.9 6.9 3.1 13.0 5.1 5.7

Rural ........................... 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 3.4 15.7 7.1 5.2

Geographic region

Northeast..................... 3.6 3.8 4.1 4.3 2.5 8.0 4.0 3.6

Southeast..................... 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.1 2.3 7.5 3.2 3.2

Central ........................ 3.8 4.0 4.6 4.3 2.9 7.1 3.1 2.7

West............................ 4.1 3.6 4.6 5.3 3.3 7.2 2.8 3.7

Percent minority

enrollment

Less than 6 percent...... 4.6 6.1 4.4 4.7 2.5 8.9 4.0 4.1

6 to 20 percent............. 3.8 3.4 3.5 3.5 2.7 8.2 1.6 2.8

21 to 49 percent........... 3.6 5.1 3.8 4.4 4.3 5.6 2.3 3.0

50 percent or more ...... 3.8 4.3 3.8 5.0 2.9 10.4 3.7 3.6 1 This estimate is based on the percent of schools that had the equipment or service available in at least one classroom.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-19

Table B-5.—Percent of private schools with Internet access and percentage of students enrolled in

private schools with Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Percent of schools with

Internet access

Percent

of students

All private schools...................................................................... 67 81

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 83 86

Other religious ............................................................................ 54 72

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 66 84

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 64 77

Secondary ................................................................................... 90 97

Combined.................................................................................... 64 80

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 48 60

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 77 77

300 or more................................................................................. 85 87

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 72 83

Urban fringe................................................................................ 63 77

Town........................................................................................... 65 86

Rural ........................................................................................... 58 78

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 64 79

Southeast..................................................................................... 66 85

Central ........................................................................................ 72 84

West............................................................................................ 64 74

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 59 83

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 75 86

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 76 85

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 52 59

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-20

Table B-5a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools with Internet access and percentage

of students enrolled in private schools with Internet access, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

School characteristic Percent of schools with

Internet access

Percent

of students

All private schools...................................................................... 1.9 1.4

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 2.3 1.8

Other religious ............................................................................ 3.1 2.8

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 4.2 2.8

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 2.0 1.9

Secondary ................................................................................... 2.9 0.9

Combined.................................................................................... 4.3 2.8

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 3.6 3.2

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 3.0 3.0

300 or more................................................................................. 2.1 2.0

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 2.9 2.1

Urban fringe................................................................................ 2.9 2.6

Town........................................................................................... 5.9 3.6

Rural ........................................................................................... 9.3 6.5

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 4.7 3.3

Southeast..................................................................................... 5.2 2.8

Central ........................................................................................ 4.1 2.5

West............................................................................................ 4.6 3.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 4.3 2.6

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 3.5 2.1

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 3.7 2.8

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 4.2 4.3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-21

Table B-6.—Percent of private schools without Internet access, and percentage that plan to gain

Internet access in the future, by year that Internet access is planned and school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

Year in which school plans to gain Internet access School characteristic

No current

Internet access

Plan to gain

access 1999 2000 2001 or later

All private schools.............................. 33 46 45 45 10

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 17 74 39 49 12

Other religious .................................... 46 41 44 44 12

Nonsectarian ....................................... 34 38 59 41 0

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 36 46 43 47 10

Secondary ........................................... 10 31 86 14 0

Combined............................................ 36 46 46 42 12

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 52 38 49 40 11

150 to 299 ........................................... 23 60 39 53 8

300 or more......................................... 15 77 40 49 11

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 28 64 49 43 8

Urban fringe........................................ 37 46 51 43 6

Town................................................... 35 38 22 78 0

Rural ................................................... 42 12 0 0 100

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 36 41 54 39 7

Southeast............................................. 34 47 22 70 8

Central ................................................ 28 37 61 39 0

West.................................................... 36 59 43 39 18

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 41 13 15 85 0

6 to 20 percent..................................... 25 71 50 34 16

21 to 49 percent................................... 24 59 53 41 6

50 percent or more .............................. 48 59 45 45 11

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-22

Table B-6a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools without Internet access, and

percentage that plan to gain Internet access in the future, by year that Internet access

is planned and school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Year in which school plans to gain Internet access School characteristic

No current

Internet access

Plan to gain

access 1999 2000 2001 or later

All private schools.............................. 1.9 3.4 6.2 6.5 4.1

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 2.3 7.1 7.6 9.4 5.6

Other religious .................................... 3.1 4.8 8.6 8.8 6.6

Nonsectarian ....................................... 4.2 9.8 14.2 14.2 0.0

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 2.0 4.1 6.8 7.6 3.9

Secondary ........................................... 2.9 16.6 16.6 16.6 0.0

Combined............................................ 4.3 9.4 14.7 14.5 12.7

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 3.6 4.5 9.2 8.8 6.9

150 to 299 ........................................... 3.0 7.0 8.7 10.2 5.6

300 or more......................................... 2.1 7.9 7.8 10.3 5.6

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 2.9 5.9 9.1 8.8 5.1

Urban fringe........................................ 2.9 6.2 8.4 8.7 3.7

Town................................................... 5.9 12.2 24.0 24.0 0.0

Rural ................................................... 9.3 10.2 0.0 0.0 0.0

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 4.8 5.6 21.1 12.1 5.2

Southeast............................................. 5.2 8.2 13.8 14.4 6.4

Central ................................................ 4.1 7.9 10.8 10.8 0.0

West.................................................... 4.6 8.2 11.6 12.2 9.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 4.3 5.0 11.5 11.5 0.0

6 to 20 percent..................................... 3.5 7.3 12.3 10.6 10.3

21 to 49 percent................................... 3.7 10.6 13.1 13.8 5.8

50 percent or more .............................. 4.2 6.5 9.9 10.4 5.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-23

Table B-7.—Among private schools with Internet access, mean number of computers with Internet

access, mean number of instructional computers with Internet access, and mean

number of computers capable of having Internet access that do not currently have

Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Mean number of

computers with

Internet access

Mean number of

instructional

computers with

Internet access

Mean number of

computers capable of

having Internet access

that do not currently

have access

All private schools....................................................... 23 18 13

Affiliation

Catholic........................................................................ 22 18 15

Other religious ............................................................. 15 12 10

Nonsectarian ................................................................ 55 40 12

Instructional level

Elementary................................................................... 12 10 11

Secondary .................................................................... 50 35 14

Combined..................................................................... 37 30 16

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ............................................................... 6 5 7

150 to 299 .................................................................... 12 9 12

300 or more.................................................................. 54 43 20

Type of locale

City .............................................................................. 27 22 15

Urban fringe................................................................. 27 21 13

Town............................................................................ 10 8 10

Rural ............................................................................ 12 8 5

Geographic region

Northeast...................................................................... 34 26 13

Southeast...................................................................... 22 18 15

Central ......................................................................... 18 14 10

West............................................................................. 21 16 13

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent....................................................... 19 16 9

6 to 20 percent.............................................................. 29 23 15

21 to 49 percent............................................................ 31 24 11

50 percent or more ....................................................... 8 6 14

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-24

Table B-7a.—Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the mean number of

computers with Internet access, mean number of instructional computers with

Internet access, and mean number of computers capable of having Internet access

that do not currently have Internet access, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99

School characteristic

Mean number of

computers with

Internet access

Mean number of

instructional

computers with

Internet access

Mean number of

computers capable of

having Internet access

that do not currently

have access

All private schools....................................................... 1.4 1.1 0.9

Affiliation

Catholic........................................................................ 1.9 1.6 0.9

Other religious ............................................................. 1.6 1.3 1.0

Nonsectarian ................................................................ 6.8 4.5 1.9

Instructional level

Elementary................................................................... 1.0 0.9 0.8

Secondary .................................................................... 6.6 4.5 1.7

Combined..................................................................... 4.0 3.3 2.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ............................................................... 1.1 1.0 1.5

150 to 299 .................................................................... 1.4 1.1 0.8

300 or more.................................................................. 3.4 2.6 1.6

Type of locale

City .............................................................................. 2.2 1.8 2.0

Urban fringe................................................................. 2.9 1.9 1.1

Town............................................................................ 2.1 1.7 1.7

Rural ............................................................................ 2.9 1.9 1.5

Geographic region

Northeast...................................................................... 4.1 3.2 1.6

Southeast...................................................................... 3.3 2.6 2.5

Central ......................................................................... 2.3 1.9 1.2

West............................................................................. 3.1 2.7 1.5

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent....................................................... 2.6 2.3 1.0

6 to 20 percent.............................................................. 3.1 2.5 1.4

21 to 49 percent............................................................ 4.0 3.1 1.3

50 percent or more ....................................................... 1.5 1.5 2.1

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-25

Table B-8.—Among private schools with Internet access, ratio of students to instructional

computers with Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Number of students per instructional

computer with Internet access

All private schools............................................................................. 15

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 19

Other religious ................................................................................... 18

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 7

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 24

Secondary .......................................................................................... 10

Combined........................................................................................... 10

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 17

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 23

300 or more........................................................................................ 13

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 15

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 14

Town.................................................................................................. 23

Rural .................................................................................................. 15

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 12

Southeast............................................................................................ 17

Central ............................................................................................... 17

West................................................................................................... 14

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 16

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 14

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 12

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 33

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-26

Table B-8a.—Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the ratio of students

to instructional computers with Internet access, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

School characteristic Number of students per instructional

computer with Internet access

All private schools............................................................................. 0.8

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 1.6

Other religious ................................................................................... 1.9

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 0.7

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 2.0

Secondary .......................................................................................... 0.6

Combined........................................................................................... 1.1

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 3.5

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 2.9

300 or more........................................................................................ 0.8

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 1.1

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 1.2

Town.................................................................................................. 4.2

Rural .................................................................................................. 3.9

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 1.2

Southeast............................................................................................ 1.9

Central ............................................................................................... 2.0

West................................................................................................... 2.1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 2.0

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 1.2

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 1.4

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 8.6

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-27

Table B-9.—Mean number of private school instructional rooms, mean number of instructional

rooms having a computer used for instructional purposes, and mean number of

instructional rooms having a computer with access to the Internet, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Mean number of

instructional rooms

Mean number of

instructional rooms having a

computer used for

instructional purposes

Mean number of

instructional rooms having a

computer with access to the

Internet

All private schools.............................. 16 8 4

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 19 11 5

Other religious .................................... 13 6 2

Nonsectarian ....................................... 20 12 8

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 12 7 3

Secondary ........................................... 24 10 8

Combined............................................ 21 11 6

Internet access

Has access........................................... 19 11 6

No access ............................................ 9 3 0

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 8 4 1

150 to 299 ........................................... 15 8 3

300 or more......................................... 32 19 11

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 18 10 5

Urban fringe........................................ 17 9 4

Town................................................... 11 5 2

Rural ................................................... 9 4 2

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 18 10 5

Southeast............................................. 17 9 4

Central ................................................ 14 8 4

West.................................................... 14 7 3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 13 7 4

6 to 20 percent..................................... 20 11 5

21 to 49 percent................................... 18 11 6

50 percent or more .............................. 11 5 1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-28

Table B-9a.—Standard errors of the mean number of private school instructional rooms, mean

number of instructional rooms having a computer used for instructional purposes,

and mean number of instructional rooms having a computer with access to the

Internet, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Mean number of

instructional rooms

Mean number of

instructional rooms having a

computer used for

instructional purposes

Mean number of

instructional rooms having a

computer with access to the

Internet

All private schools.............................. 0.4 0.3 0.3

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 0.4 0.4 0.3

Other religious .................................... 0.5 0.3 0.3

Nonsectarian ....................................... 1.4 1.2 1.2

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 0.3 0.3 0.2

Secondary ........................................... 1.8 1.1 1.0

Combined............................................ 1.2 0.8 0.7

Internet access

Has access........................................... 0.6 0.5 0.4

No access ............................................ 0.5 0.3 0.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 0.5 0.3 0.2

150 to 299 ........................................... 0.3 0.3 0.3

300 or more......................................... 0.8 0.8 0.8

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 0.9 0.6 0.5

Urban fringe........................................ 0.7 0.7 0.5

Town................................................... 0.8 0.5 0.4

Rural ................................................... 0.9 0.7 0.6

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 1.1 0.9 0.7

Southeast............................................. 1.5 1.0 0.6

Central ................................................ 0.8 0.6 0.6

West.................................................... 0.8 0.5 0.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 0.8 0.7 0.5

6 to 20 percent..................................... 0.9 0.7 0.7

21 to 49 percent................................... 0.9 0.7 0.7

50 percent or more .............................. 0.7 0.4 0.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-29

Table B-10.—Percent of private school instructional rooms with a computer with Internet access,

by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Percent of instructional rooms

All private schools............................................................................. 25

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 27

Other religious ................................................................................... 18

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 41

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 21

Secondary .......................................................................................... 32

Combined........................................................................................... 28

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 16

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 17

300 or more........................................................................................ 34

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 27

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 25

Town.................................................................................................. 21

Rural .................................................................................................. 21

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 28

Southeast............................................................................................ 24

Central ............................................................................................... 28

West................................................................................................... 22

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 28

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 27

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 32

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 10

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-30

Table B-10a.—Standard errors of the percent of private school instructional rooms with a

computer with Internet access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Percent of instructional rooms

All private schools............................................................................. 1.5

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 1.8

Other religious ................................................................................... 2.2

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 4.1

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 1.7

Secondary .......................................................................................... 2.7

Combined........................................................................................... 3.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 2.8

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 2.1

300 or more........................................................................................ 2.2

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 2.3

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 2.3

Town.................................................................................................. 3.4

Rural .................................................................................................. 5.9

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 3.0

Southeast............................................................................................ 2.7

Central ............................................................................................... 3.1

West................................................................................................... 2.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 3.2

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 2.6

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 3.3

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 2.3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-31

Table B-11.—Among private schools with Internet access, percentage distribution of schools

indicating the number of instructional rooms with Internet access, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

No

instructional

rooms

1

instructional

room

2-4

instructional

rooms

5 or more

instructional

rooms

All private schools ................................................................................... 17 38 19 26

Affiliation

Catholic ................................................................................................... 12 41 16 31

Other religious ......................................................................................... 21 37 23 18

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 15 32 17 36

Instructional level

Elementary............................................................................................... 20 42 13 25

Secondary ................................................................................................ 4 27 38 31

Combined ................................................................................................ 18 33 25 24

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 19 45 20 16

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 19 45 16 20

300 or more........................................................................................ 11 23 23 44

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 18 33 18 30

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 18 39 17 26

Town.................................................................................................. 14 40 27 19

Rural .................................................................................................. 11 52 20 16

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 18 43 13 26

Southeast............................................................................................ 20 32 21 27

Central ............................................................................................... 14 42 19 25

West................................................................................................... 18 33 25 25

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 12 40 21 28

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 10 39 24 27

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 18 32 17 32

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 30 45 11 15

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools. Percentages are

computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-32

Table B-11a.—Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percentage

distribution of schools indicating the number of instructional rooms with Internet

access, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

No

instructional

rooms

1

instructional

room

2-4

instructional

rooms

5 or more

instructional

rooms

All private schools ................................................................................... 1.8 2.4 2.0 1.7

Affiliation

Catholic ................................................................................................... 2.1 3.0 2.4 2.8

Other religious ......................................................................................... 3.8 4.1 3.6 2.4

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 3.8 5.9 4.4 3.5

Instructional level

Elementary............................................................................................... 2.7 3.4 2.1 2.5

Secondary ................................................................................................ 2.0 5.3 4.7 3.8

Combined ................................................................................................ 4.6 4.9 4.5 3.6

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 5.0 5.0 4.8 3.4

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 3.0 4.1 2.8 3.3

300 or more........................................................................................ 2.0 3.0 2.5 3.1

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 2.9 3.1 2.8 2.9

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 3.9 4.0 3.0 3.1

Town.................................................................................................. 5.0 7.7 6.1 5.0

Rural .................................................................................................. 7.4 12.5 7.9 6.0

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 3.9 5.9 2.5 3.5

Southeast............................................................................................ 4.2 4.6 3.2 3.7

Central ............................................................................................... 4.3 4.5 3.9 3.5

West................................................................................................... 4.1 4.6 4.0 3.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 3.7 5.6 4.0 4.0

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 2.3 4.4 3.8 3.0

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 4.6 4.2 4.2 3.8

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 6.0 6.5 3.5 4.8

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-33

Table B-12.—Among private schools with Internet access, percentage distribution of schools

indicating the number of classrooms with Internet access, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

School characteristic

No

classrooms

1

 classroom

2-4

classrooms

5 or more

classrooms

All private schools ................................................................................... 47 16 11 26

Affiliation

Catholic ................................................................................................... 53 9 8 30

Other religious ......................................................................................... 44 22 16 18

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 39 13 11 37

Instructional level

Elementary............................................................................................... 49 14 10 27

Secondary ................................................................................................ 36 25 15 24

Combined ................................................................................................ 48 17 10 24

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 46 24 14 15

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 55 11 12 21

300 or more........................................................................................ 42 9 8 42

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 47 14 9 30

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 46 14 12 29

Town.................................................................................................. 40 26 17 16

Rural .................................................................................................. 58 21 8 12

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 51 11 11 27

Southeast............................................................................................ 48 16 9 27

Central ............................................................................................... 44 19 10 27

West................................................................................................... 45 18 14 23

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 41 22 8 29

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 55 10 13 22

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 40 15 11 34

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 53 14 13 20

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools. Percentages are

computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-34

Table B-12a.—Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percentage

distribution of schools indicating the number of classrooms with Internet access, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

No

classrooms

1

 classroom

2-4

classrooms

5 or more

classrooms

All private schools ................................................................................... 2.7 2.1 1.6 1.9

Affiliation

Catholic ................................................................................................... 3.5 1.9 1.5 3.1

Other religious ......................................................................................... 4.6 4.0 3.5 2.6

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 5.5 4.6 3.7 5.3

Instructional level

Elementary............................................................................................... 3.5 2.5 1.9 2.9

Secondary ................................................................................................ 4.9 6.9 2.9 3.7

Combined ................................................................................................ 5.5 4.3 4.1 3.7

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 5.6 5.0 3.7 3.8

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 4.8 3.3 2.9 3.6

300 or more........................................................................................ 3.0 1.7 1.6 3.1

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 3.6 3.1 1.8 3.5

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 4.5 3.6 2.5 3.6

Town.................................................................................................. 6.8 7.1 6.6 4.8

Rural .................................................................................................. 11.4 10.0 4.6 6.2

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 5.2 3.2 2.8 4.3

Southeast............................................................................................ 5.9 4.9 3.3 4.0

Central ............................................................................................... 4.6 4.4 2.6 3.9

West................................................................................................... 6.4 5.0 4.7 4.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 4.9 5.1 3.1 4.5

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 4.1 2.3 2.7 3.2

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 3.7 4.3 3.5 4.3

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 7.8 5.4 5.1 6.8

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-35

Table B-13.—Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools reporting various

types of Internet connection, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Type of Internet connection

School characteristic Dial-up

connection

Dedicated

line ISDN

Wireless

connection

Cable

modem

Other type

of

connection

All private schools.............................. 65 21 14 1 12 3

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 65 27 17 1 13 3

Other religious .................................... 67 14 12 1 13 3

Nonsectarian ....................................... 51 28 14 1 12 4

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 68 18 16 0 12 2

Secondary ........................................... 52 43 11 3 10 3

Combined............................................ 61 21 11 0 16 5

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 77 10 5 0 17 4

150 to 299 ........................................... 66 23 16 1 11 3

300 or more......................................... 49 37 22 1 10 3

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 61 25 18 1 17 3

Urban fringe........................................ 59 20 16092

Town................................................... 75 23 4 0 13 4

Rural ................................................... 82 103029

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 65 20 8 1 13 6

Southeast............................................. 59 17 15 1 21 2

Central ................................................ 71 27 11 0 10 2

West.................................................... 60 18 23072

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 65 20 13 1 12 7

6 to 20 percent..................................... 63 24 15 0 11 1

21 to 49 percent................................... 61 22 18 1 13 1

50 percent or more .............................. 71 15 10 1 19 5

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools. Percentages for types

of Internet connection do not sum to 100 because schools could report more than one type of connection.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-36

Table B-13a.—Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percent of

schools reporting various types of Internet connection, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

Type of Internet connection

School characteristic Dial-up

connection

Dedicated

line ISDN

Wireless

connection

Cable

modem

Other type

of

connection

All private schools.............................. 2.2 1.3 1.3 0.3 1.5 0.8

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 3.6 2.6 2.5 0.6 2.1 1.0

Other religious .................................... 4.0 2.0 1.9 0.3 3.0 1.9

Nonsectarian ....................................... 5.2 3.5 3.3 0.6 3.7 1.9

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 2.9 1.7 2.1 0.4 1.9 0.8

Secondary ........................................... 6.2 5.6 2.6 1.2 2.6 1.8

Combined............................................ 4.7 2.7 2.2 0.3 4.0 3.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 4.8 2.0 1.8 0.2 3.5 2.3

150 to 299 ........................................... 3.7 2.7 2.4 0.7 2.4 1.3

300 or more......................................... 3.5 2.3 2.8 0.5 1.9 1.0

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 3.8 2.1 2.3 0.7 3.0 1.0

Urban fringe........................................ 3.7 2.3 2.8 0.2 2.2 0.9

Town................................................... 5.3 5.0 2.3 0.0 5.7 1.8

Rural ................................................... 8.1 3.3 2.1 0.0 1.9 7.4

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 4.6 3.1 2.4 1.1 3.0 3.2

Southeast............................................. 4.2 2.9 3.1 0.5 4.2 1.4

Central ................................................ 4.0 3.4 2.5 0.3 2.7 1.0

West.................................................... 4.8 2.8 3.3 0.2 2.2 1.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 5.1 3.7 3.2 0.6 3.8 3.2

6 to 20 percent..................................... 4.0 2.6 2.4 0.1 1.9 0.9

21 to 49 percent................................... 5.1 2.5 3.7 0.4 3.4 0.9

50 percent or more .............................. 5.4 2.9 3.0 1.5 5.8 2.2

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-37

Table B-14.—Percent of private schools with Internet access connecting to the Internet with

dedicated lines, by specific type of dedicated line and school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

Specific type of dedicated line

School characteristic

Percent of

schools with

dedicated lines 56 Kb T1/DS1 Fractionalized T1

All private schools.............................................. 21 17 11 6

Affiliation

Catholic............................................................... 27 17 11 5

Other religious .................................................... 14 17 6 5

Nonsectarian ....................................................... 28 16 21 9

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................................... 18 17 10 3

Secondary ........................................................... 43 24 19 9

Combined............................................................ 21 15 9 10

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................................... 10 16 3 1

150 to 299 ........................................................... 23 18 10 5

300 or more......................................................... 37 17 17 11

Type of locale

City ..................................................................... 25 20 12 6

Urban fringe........................................................ 20 14 12 7

Town................................................................... 23 24 9 2

Rural ................................................................... 10972

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................. 20 14 11 8

Southeast............................................................. 17 10 9 7

Central ................................................................ 27 24 13 5

West.................................................................... 18 17 10 3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................................. 20 20 11 4

6 to 20 percent..................................................... 24 15 11 8

21 to 49 percent................................................... 22 12 10 7

50 percent or more .............................................. 15 22 7 2

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools. Schools could report

more than one type of dedicated line.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-38

Table B-14a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools with Internet access connecting to

the Internet with dedicated lines, by specific type of dedicated line and school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

Specific type of dedicated line1

School characteristic

Percent of

schools with

dedicated lines 56 Kb T1/DS1 Fractionalized T1

All private schools.............................................. 1.3 1.9 1.2 0.9

Affiliation

Catholic............................................................... 2.6 2.4 1.8 1.4

Other religious .................................................... 2.1 3.7 1.3 1.3

Nonsectarian ....................................................... 3.5 4.5 3.4 2.5

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................................... 1.7 2.3 1.9 0.9

Secondary ........................................................... 5.6 5.5 4.4 1.9

Combined............................................................ 2.7 3.8 1.6 2.6

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................................... 2.0 4.1 1.6 0.8

150 to 299 ........................................................... 2.7 3.0 2.6 1.8

300 or more......................................................... 2.3 2.3 1.8 1.9

Type of locale

City ..................................................................... 2.1 2.9 1.9 1.3

Urban fringe........................................................ 2.3 2.9 2.3 1.6

Town................................................................... 5.0 7.6 3.2 1.7

Rural ................................................................... 3.3 4.3 4.3 1.6

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................. 3.1 2.8 2.6 2.2

Southeast............................................................. 2.9 3.2 2.7 1.9

Central ................................................................ 3.4 4.6 2.4 1.5

West.................................................................... 2.8 3.3 3.3 1.1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................................. 3.7 4.9 2.7 1.7

6 to 20 percent..................................................... 2.6 3.0 1.7 1.8

21 to 49 percent................................................... 2.5 3.0 2.1 1.9

50 percent or more .............................................. 2.9 4.9 2.7 1.2

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-39

Table B-15.—Percent of private schools indicating that e-mail was available in the school and to

members of the school community, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Available to members of school community

School characteristic Available in school

Students Teachers Administrative staff

All private schools............. 62 28 51 61

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 79 31 66 78

Other religious ................... 50 22 41 48

Nonsectarian ...................... 62 39 53 60

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 60 25 48 58

Secondary .......................... 83 47 73 81

Combined........................... 60 29 51 59

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 44 23 39 43

150 to 299 .......................... 73 29 56 70

300 or more........................ 81 35 68 79

Type of locale

City .................................... 67 28 54 66

Urban fringe....................... 60 24 47 58

Town.................................. 63 33 56 60

Rural .................................. 52 37 49 51

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 58 24 45 57

Southeast............................ 63 24 50 61

Central ............................... 68 33 60 66

West................................... 58 29 46 56

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 56 27 47 55

6 to 20 percent.................... 70 28 61 69

21 to 49 percent.................. 72 38 60 68

50 percent or more ............. 47 22 35 46

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-40

Table B-15a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating that e-mail was

available in the school and to members of the school community, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

Available to members of school community

School characteristic Available in school

Students Teachers Administrative staff

All private schools............. 2.1 1.8 2.1 2.2

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 2.4 2.9 3.0 2.5

Other religious ................... 3.3 2.8 3.3 3.3

Nonsectarian ...................... 4.3 4.6 4.3 4.3

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 2.3 1.9 2.3 2.3

Secondary .......................... 4.3 4.9 4.5 4.4

Combined........................... 4.5 4.2 4.4 4.5

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 3.8 3.1 3.8 4.0

150 to 299 .......................... 2.9 3.3 3.8 2.7

300 or more........................ 2.4 3.0 3.2 2.4

Type of locale

City .................................... 3.1 3.0 3.4 2.9

Urban fringe....................... 3.2 2.9 3.7 3.3

Town.................................. 5.8 6.1 5.7 6.3

Rural .................................. 9.2 7.6 9.1 9.3

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 4.5 3.2 4.5 4.5

Southeast............................ 5.2 4.0 4.1 5.5

Central ............................... 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.2

West................................... 4.6 3.4 4.4 4.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 4.4 4.0 4.7 4.5

6 to 20 percent.................... 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.6

21 to 49 percent.................. 4.0 3.6 4.3 3.9

50 percent or more ............. 4.4 3.6 4.7 4.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-41

Table B-16.—Percent of private schools indicating that the World Wide Web was available in the

school and to members of the school community, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

Available to members of school community

School characteristic

Available in

school Students Teachers Administrative

staff

All private schools.............................................. 64 47 56 61

Affiliation

Catholic............................................................... 81 63 73 77

Other religious .................................................... 51 34 44 48

Nonsectarian ....................................................... 65 54 58 62

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................................... 62 43 53 59

Secondary ........................................................... 89 82 86 86

Combined............................................................ 59 43 52 56

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................................... 46 33 41 44

150 to 299 ........................................................... 73 51 64 69

300 or more......................................................... 83 68 74 81

Type of locale

City ..................................................................... 71 52 61 67

Urban fringe........................................................ 60 48 53 58

Town................................................................... 61 47 53 57

Rural ................................................................... 55 42 54 52

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................. 62 44 53 58

Southeast............................................................. 64 46 52 60

Central ................................................................ 67 53 65 65

West.................................................................... 61 44 52 58

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................................. 58 45 52 54

6 to 20 percent..................................................... 71 52 65 67

21 to 49 percent................................................... 75 61 70 71

50 percent or more .............................................. 47 29 36 46

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-42

Table B-16a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating that the World Wide

Web was available in the school and to members of the school community, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

Available to members of school community

School characteristic

Available in

school

Students Teachers

Administrative

staff

All private schools.............................................. 1.9 2.2 1.8 1.9

Affiliation

Catholic............................................................... 2.3 2.8 2.8 3.2

Other religious .................................................... 3.2 3.4 3.2 2.8

Nonsectarian ....................................................... 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.1

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................................... 2.0 2.4 2.2 2.4

Secondary ........................................................... 3.2 4.3 3.6 3.6

Combined............................................................ 4.2 4.7 4.4 4.4

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................................... 3.7 4.0 3.7 3.3

150 to 299 ........................................................... 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.5

300 or more......................................................... 2.1 2.4 2.5 2.9

Type of locale

City ..................................................................... 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.0

Urban fringe........................................................ 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.5

Town................................................................... 5.8 6.4 5.6 5.9

Rural ................................................................... 9.4 9.3 9.3 7.9

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................. 4.6 4.5 4.8 4.1

Southeast............................................................. 5.4 5.6 4.5 4.5

Central ................................................................ 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.4

West.................................................................... 4.9 5.1 4.6 4.0

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................................. 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.3

6 to 20 percent..................................................... 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.7

21 to 49 percent................................................... 3.6 4.1 4.3 4.5

50 percent or more .............................................. 4.3 3.9 4.3 3.3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-43

Table B-17.—Among private schools with Internet access, percent of schools with a Web page on

the World Wide Web and percentage of schools with a computer system that can be

accessed by students from home, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Percentage with a Web page

on World Wide Web

Percentage with a computer

system that can be accessed

by students from home

All private schools...................................................................... 52 10

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 52 8

Other religious ............................................................................ 45 10

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 68 11

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 46 9

Secondary ................................................................................... 72 13

Combined.................................................................................... 55 10

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 38 8

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 51 9

300 or more................................................................................. 65 10

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 52 9

Urban fringe................................................................................ 63 11

Town........................................................................................... 35 6

Rural ........................................................................................... 35 16

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 60 11

Southeast..................................................................................... 51 2

Central ........................................................................................ 44 11

West............................................................................................ 56 14

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 45 3

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 58 13

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 61 12

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 34 6

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-44

Table B-17a.—Among private schools with Internet access, standard errors of the percent of

schools with a Web page on the World Wide Web and percentage of schools with a

computer system that can be accessed by students from home, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Percentage with a Web page

on World Wide Web

Percentage with a computer

system that can be accessed

by students from home

All private schools...................................................................... 2.3 1.7

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 3.7 1.8

Other religious ............................................................................ 4.0 3.2

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 5.4 2.5

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 3.0 2.3

Secondary ................................................................................... 6.7 4.2

Combined.................................................................................... 5.4 3.4

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 4.7 3.6

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 3.7 2.5

300 or more................................................................................. 3.3 1.8

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 3.2 1.9

Urban fringe................................................................................ 3.9 2.7

Town........................................................................................... 6.4 2.7

Rural ........................................................................................... 10.5 9.2

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 4.9 2.9

Southeast..................................................................................... 4.2 1.1

Central ........................................................................................ 3.7 3.5

West............................................................................................ 5.5 3.9

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 5.7 1.3

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 4.0 3.3

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 5.0 4.1

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 5.3 2.8

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-45

Table B-18.—Percent of private school teachers who regularly use computers/advanced

telecommunications for teaching as reported by private schools, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Percent of teachers

All private schools............................................................................. 45

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 48

Other religious ................................................................................... 41

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 49

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 45

Secondary .......................................................................................... 47

Combined........................................................................................... 44

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 47

No access ........................................................................................... 33

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 41

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 43

300 or more........................................................................................ 47

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 50

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 41

Town.................................................................................................. 38

Rural .................................................................................................. 40

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 50

Southeast............................................................................................ 38

Central ............................................................................................... 52

West................................................................................................... 37

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 41

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 46

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 45

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 47

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-46

Table B-18a.—Standard errors of the percent of private school teachers who regularly use

computers/advanced telecommunications for teaching as reported by private

schools, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Percent of teachers

All private schools............................................................................. 3.1

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 5.9

Other religious ................................................................................... 3.8

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 3.1

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 4.5

Secondary .......................................................................................... 5.9

Combined........................................................................................... 3.4

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 3.1

No access ........................................................................................... 6.1

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 5.6

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 7.1

300 or more........................................................................................ 3.5

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 6.1

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 2.3

Town.................................................................................................. 3.8

Rural .................................................................................................. 5.6

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 7.2

Southeast............................................................................................ 4.8

Central ............................................................................................... 6.2

West................................................................................................... 2.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 4.1

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 4.1

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 4.4

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 12.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-47

Table B-19.—Percent of private schools using computers/advanced telecommunications for

distance learning, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Percent of schools

All private schools............................................................................. 6

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 8

Other religious ................................................................................... 4

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 11

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 7

Secondary .......................................................................................... 4

Combined........................................................................................... 6

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 9

No access ........................................................................................... 1

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 5

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 7

300 or more........................................................................................ 9

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 5

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 8

Town.................................................................................................. 8

Rural .................................................................................................. 4

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 5

Southeast............................................................................................ 5

Central ............................................................................................... 7

West................................................................................................... 8

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 6

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 9

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 5

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 5

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-48

Table B-19a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools using computers/advanced

telecommunications for distance learning, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99

School characteristic Percent of schools

All private schools............................................................................. 0.9

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 1.9

Other religious ................................................................................... 1.2

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 2.7

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 1.2

Secondary .......................................................................................... 1.3

Combined........................................................................................... 1.5

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 1.3

No access ........................................................................................... 0.5

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 1.4

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 1.7

300 or more........................................................................................ 1.8

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 1.1

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 1.8

Town.................................................................................................. 3.0

Rural .................................................................................................. 2.6

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 1.5

Southeast............................................................................................ 1.4

Central ............................................................................................... 1.8

West................................................................................................... 2.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 1.8

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 1.9

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 1.5

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 2.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-49

Table B-20.—Among private schools with Internet access and e-mail availability, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of e-mail use for various members of the

school community, by selected school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Administrative staff Teachers Students

School characteristic Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

All private schools...... 31 30 39 43 32 25 55 26 19

Affiliation

Catholic....................... 30 29 41 48 28 24 60 22 18

Other religious ............ 33 33 34 43 38 20 56 31 13

Nonsectarian ............... 27 28 45 29 34 37 45 26 29

Instructional level

Elementary.................. 32 28 40 46 31 24 64 23 13

Secondary ................... 25 31 44 37 30 33 37 22 40

Combined.................... 32 34 35 39 37 24 47 34 19

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............. 31 33 36 42 38 21 53 31 16

150 to 299 ................... 35 32 33 46 34 20 62 24 14

300 or more................. 27 26 47 42 27 31 51 24 26

Type of locale

City ............................. 32 25 43 44 25 30 54 26 20

Urban fringe................ 26 35 39 43 37 20 58 27 15

Town........................... 40 32 28 47 35 18 57 32 11

Rural ........................... 25 31 45 28 42 30 51 13 36

Geographic region

Northeast..................... 30 28 41 41 35 24 55 25 20

Southeast..................... 31 24 45 44 32 24 44 31 14

Central ........................ 37 26 36 44 32 24 62 21 16

West............................ 21 42 37 40 30 30 44 29 27

Percent minority

enrollment

Less than 6 percent...... 32 30 38 41 35 24 60 24 16

6 to 20 percent............. 31 35 34 44 36 20 55 25 21

21 to 49 percent........... 26 33 41 39 36 25 50 28 22

50 percent or more ...... 37 18 45 54 18 28 56 32 12

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools—and e-mail access—

62 percent of private schools with Internet access. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-50

Table B-20a.—Among private schools with Internet access and e-mail availability, standard errors

of the percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of e-mail use for

various members of the school community, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99

Administrative staff Teachers Students

School characteristic Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

All private schools...... 2.4 2.3 2.2 3.1 2.6 2.3 3.5 3.1 3.2

Affiliation

Catholic....................... 3.2 3.0 2.9 4.1 3.6 3.2 4.7 4.1 4.5

Other religious ............ 3.6 4.0 4.3 5.0 5.1 3.8 7.4 6.5 5.3

Nonsectarian ............... 5.6 5.4 5.6 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.5 6.5 4.5

Instructional level

Elementary.................. 3.3 3.1 2.7 3.6 3.0 2.8 4.9 4.3 3.5

Secondary ................... 5.5 3.7 4.2 6.6 5.0 6.1 8.1 5.0 8.3

Combined.................... 4.5 4.6 4.8 5.1 5.5 4.8 8.8 8.4 6.3

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............. 4.7 5.2 4.6 5.9 5.4 4.4 8.2 7.4 6.3

150 to 299 ................... 3.6 3.5 3.4 4.4 3.9 3.2 6.0 5.4 4.2

300 or more................. 3.0 3.0 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.1 5.0 4.7 4.2

Type of locale

City ............................. 3.2 2.8 3.4 4.1 3.2 3.6 5.6 4.9 3.3

Urban fringe................ 3.3 3.8 3.6 4.2 4.4 2.9 6.1 6.5 3.8

Town........................... 7.6 7.3 7.2 7.9 7.9 6.0 9.4 10.2 5.5

Rural ........................... 9.3 8.7 9.4 9.5 8.2 10.0 15.3 5.9 15.4

Geographic region

Northeast..................... 4.4 4.2 5.7 5.4 5.0 4.0 4.9 5.3 4.5

Southeast..................... 4.5 4.6 5.8 6.4 4.9 6.1 8.2 8.2 8.6

Central ........................ 4.1 3.9 4.3 5.3 4.6 4.1 7.5 5.7 6.2

West............................ 4.0 6.4 5.9 5.9 5.8 5.7 7.7 7.5 5.7

Percent minority

enrollment

Less than 6 percent...... 4.7 5.4 5.1 6.1 5.8 5.3 9.2 8.1 5.8

6 to 20 percent............. 3.7 4.6 4.4 4.0 4.6 2.8 6.0 5.3 5.9

21 to 49 percent........... 4.8 5.0 5.6 5.2 4.6 4.4 6.8 6.4 3.9

50 percent or more ...... 5.8 4.3 5.5 7.7 5.2 4.7 9.4 9.5 6.4

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools—and e-mail access—

62 percent of private schools with Internet access.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-51

Table B-21.—Among private schools with Internet access and World Wide Web access, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of World Wide Web use for various

members of the school community, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Administrative staff Teachers Students

School characteristic Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

All private schools...... 42 31 28 35 41 24 30 38 31

Affiliation

Catholic....................... 40 32 28 35 41 25 30 35 35

Other religious ............ 44 32 25 42 39 19 35 44 21

Nonsectarian ............... 47 24 28 23 45 31 26 32 42

Instructional level

Elementary.................. 43 30 27 37 41 23 34 41 25

Secondary ................... 30 37 33 21 45 34 16 36 48

Combined.................... 44 29 26 40 38 22 30 34 36

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............. 48 29 23 42 37 20 35 42 23

150 to 299 ................... 42 32 26 36 44 20 32 41 27

300 or more................. 37 33 30 29 41 30 26 32 42

Type of locale

City ............................. 46 26 28 35 38 27 35 34 31

Urban fringe................ 39 33 27 40 40 20 27 41 31

Town........................... 35 43 22 25 55 20 32 47 21

Rural ........................... 39 29 32 34 33 33 17 34 50

Geographic region

Northeast..................... 42 31 27 42 35 23 32 30 38

Southeast..................... 43 25 32 36 39 25 34 35 31

Central ........................ 36 36 27 28 48 24 28 42 29

West............................ 48 27 25 38 37 25 28 43 29

Percent minority

enrollment

Less than 6 percent...... 42 30 28 36 37 27 31 36 33

6 to 20 percent............. 40 37 22 38 43 19 31 40 29

21 to 49 percent........... 42 32 26 35 41 24 33 34 33

50 percent or more ...... 48 20 32 33 44 23 31 42 27

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent—and World Wide Web access—64

percent of private schools with Internet access. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-52

Table B-21a.—Among private schools with Internet access and World Wide Web access, standard

errors of the percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of World Wide

Web use for various members of the school community, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

Administrative staff Teachers Students

School characteristic Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

Not at

all/small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

All private schools...... 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.6 2.2 2.9 3.0 2.5

Affiliation

Catholic....................... 3.6 3.6 3.0 2.7 3.7 2.4 3.5 4.1 3.4

Other religious ............ 4.2 3.8 3.4 4.8 4.6 3.3 5.7 5.4 4.3

Nonsectarian ............... 5.3 3.9 5.2 4.6 4.8 4.0 5.1 4.9 4.9

Instructional level

Elementary.................. 3.5 3.1 2.9 2.8 3.1 2.3 3.8 3.9 3.0

Secondary ................... 4.1 4.8 5.1 4.0 6.0 5.3 3.4 6.3 2.6

Combined.................... 5.1 4.6 4.2 6.1 5.7 4.1 7.4 5.9 5.4

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............. 5.3 4.9 4.7 5.5 4.9 3.9 6.5 7.2 5.6

150 to 299 ................... 3.7 3.4 3.1 3.3 4.0 3.3 5.3 4.9 4.1

300 or more................. 2.9 2.5 3.1 2.5 3.0 3.0 2.6 3.3 3.3

Type of locale

City ............................. 2.7 2.8 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.4 4.1 3.3 2.9

Urban fringe................ 3.8 3.6 3.3 3.8 4.2 3.2 3.9 4.7 3.7

Town........................... 6.6 7.9 6.3 6.2 9.2 5.6 8.4 8.5 5.4

Rural ........................... 9.4 9.3 9.8 9.4 9.8 11.0 6.8 10.4 10.4

Geographic region

Northeast..................... 4.7 4.8 4.1 5.6 5.0 3.7 4.7 5.5 4.7

Southeast..................... 5.3 4.5 6.1 6.6 5.3 5.8 6.4 6.7 6.4

Central ........................ 3.5 4.2 3.9 3.1 4.6 4.3 5.5 5.9 5.2

West............................ 6.5 5.2 5.0 7.0 5.9 5.1 4.4 4.9 4.9

Percent minority

enrollment

Less than 6 percent...... 5.5 5.8 4.3 5.4 5.3 4.6 7.1 6.1 5.8

6 to 20 percent............. 4.5 4.8 3.1 4.7 4.3 2.5 3.5 4.4 3.9

21 to 49 percent........... 4.1 4.7 4.5 5.2 4.4 4.2 5.9 4.8 4.6

50 percent or more ...... 6.0 5.4 6.6 6.3 7.6 6.6 7.4 9.5 8.6

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent—and World Wide Web access—64

percent of private schools with Internet access.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-53

Table B-22.—Percent of private schools offering or participating in advanced telecommunications

training for teachers, by type of training and school characteristics: School year

1998-99

Type of advanced telecommunications training

School characteristic

Percent of

schools offering

or participating in

any type of

advanced telecommunications

training for

teachers

Use of computers

Integration of

technology into

the curriculum

Use of Internet

Use of other

advanced telecommunications

All private schools............. 64 60 49 43 19

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 88 85 74 66 30

Other religious ................... 49 45 34 28 12

Nonsectarian ...................... 58 55 44 42 22

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 66 63 54 44 21

Secondary .......................... 74 69 54 62 24

Combined........................... 55 49 35 33 13

Internet access

Has access.......................... 77 73 60 60 25

No access ........................... 39 35 26 9 8

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 45 40 33 26 11

150 to 299 .......................... 76 74 54 50 23

300 or more........................ 84 83 73 66 32

Type of locale

City .................................... 72 67 57 46 22

Urban fringe....................... 67 64 49 44 22

Town.................................. 49 47 42 39 12

Rural .................................. 47 41 31 33 12

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 66 65 52 46 20

Southeast............................ 53 53 37 39 16

Central ............................... 71 67 55 49 24

West................................... 63 54 49 35 16

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 53 53 42 38 15

6 to 20 percent.................... 72 66 54 49 23

21 to 49 percent.................. 73 67 60 54 26

50 percent or more ............. 60 59 45 31 16

NOTE: Schools could report more than one type of advanced telecommunications training for teachers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-54

Table B-22a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools offering or participating in

advanced telecommunications training for teachers, by type of training and school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

Type of advanced telecommunications training

School characteristic

Percent of

schools offering

or participating in

any type of

advanced telecommunications

training for

teachers

Use of computers

Integration of

technology into

the curriculum

Use of Internet

Use of other

advanced telecommunications

All private schools............. 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.3

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.7 2.7

Other religious ................... 3.1 3.2 2.6 2.9 2.0

Nonsectarian ...................... 4.8 4.7 4.9 4.6 3.6

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.2 1.7

Secondary .......................... 4.7 4.4 5.0 4.5 3.5

Combined........................... 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.3 2.5

Internet access

Has access.......................... 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.2 1.9

No access ........................... 3.9 3.8 3.3 2.8 2.1

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 3.4 3.5 2.9 3.3 2.7

150 to 299 .......................... 2.9 3.0 3.4 3.4 2.6

300 or more........................ 2.2 2.1 2.5 2.8 2.6

Type of locale

City .................................... 2.9 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.3

Urban fringe....................... 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.3 2.2

Town.................................. 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.2 3.8

Rural .................................. 8.1 7.8 6.6 6.9 3.9

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 4.4 4.3 3.9 4.0 3.0

Southeast............................ 4.0 4.0 3.8 4.3 2.9

Central ............................... 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.7 2.8

West................................... 4.5 4.6 4.1 3.9 3.1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 4.2 4.2 4.0 4.1 2.7

6 to 20 percent.................... 3.9 4.1 3.7 4.2 3.1

21 to 49 percent.................. 4.4 4.7 4.5 4.8 3.5

50 percent or more ............. 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.4 3.6

NOTE: Schools could report more than one type of advanced telecommunications training for teachers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-55

Table B-23.—Among private schools that offered or participated in advanced telecommunications

training for teachers, percentage distribution of schools using various methods of

encouragement for teacher training, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Left up to teachers to

initiate participation in

training

Training not

mandated, but

encouraged by

incentives

Training mandated by

school, central

administration, or

diocese

Other approach

All private schools............. 55 22 16 6

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 37 31 26 6

Other religious ................... 67 15 12 6

Nonsectarian ...................... 56 27 11 6

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 50 25 19 6

Secondary .......................... 55 22 16 7

Combined........................... 68 16 10 5

Internet access

Has access.......................... 47 29 22 5

No access ........................... 72 13 6 9

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 68 14 9 9

150 to 299 .......................... 49 27 19 4

300 or more........................ 39 32 27 3

Type of locale

City .................................... 52 24 19 5

Urban fringe....................... 53 23 17 6

Town.................................. 51 25 14 9

Rural .................................. 78976

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 51 31 14 4

Southeast............................ 59 17 19 5

Central ............................... 56 20 18 6

West................................... 55 22 15 9

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 58 17 15 10

6 to 20 percent.................... 55 23 15 7

21 to 49 percent.................. 52 27 19 3

50 percent or more ............. 56 23 18 3

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the percentage of schools offering or participating in any type of advanced telecommunications

training for teachers—64 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-56

Table B-23a.—Among private schools that offered or participated in advanced telecommunications

training for teachers, standard errors of the percentage distribution of schools using

various methods of encouragement for teacher training, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Left up to teachers to

initiate participation in

training

Training not

mandated, but

encouraged by

incentives

Training mandated by

school, central

administration, or

diocese

Other approach

All private schools............. 1.8 1.9 1.4 1.0

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 2.7 3.0 2.7 1.5

Other religious ................... 2.5 2.4 1.8 1.6

Nonsectarian ...................... 4.9 4.4 2.5 2.6

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 2.5 2.4 2.0 1.3

Secondary .......................... 4.3 2.9 2.5 2.8

Combined........................... 3.6 3.1 2.1 2.0

Internet access

Has access.......................... 2.3 2.7 2.1 1.0

No access ........................... 3.4 2.0 1.8 2.2

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 3.1 2.8 1.9 1.9

150 to 299 .......................... 2.8 3.0 3.1 1.4

300 or more........................ 2.7 2.4 2.5 0.9

Type of locale

City .................................... 3.2 2.8 2.4 1.3

Urban fringe....................... 3.5 2.7 2.4 1.9

Town.................................. 6.8 5.1 4.1 3.9

Rural .................................. 4.9 3.3 3.3 3.4

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 4.0 3.8 2.4 1.7

Southeast............................ 4.2 2.7 3.0 2.3

Central ............................... 3.7 3.2 3.0 1.7

West................................... 4.1 3.5 2.7 2.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 4.1 3.4 2.6 2.4

6 to 20 percent.................... 4.0 3.1 2.3 2.2

21 to 49 percent.................. 4.0 3.9 3.1 1.2

50 percent or more ............. 4.5 3.6 3.8 1.5

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the percentage of schools offering or participating in any type of advanced telecommunications

training for teachers—64 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-57

Table B-24.—Percentage distribution of private schools reporting the various individuals primarily

responsible for supporting advanced telecommunications in the school, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Full-time paid

technology

director/

coordinator

Part-time paid

technology

director/

coordinator

Consultant/

outside

contractor

Teacher or

other staff as

part of formal

responsibilities

Teacher or

other staff as

volunteers

Other

volunteers or

someone else

No one

All private schools............... 12 13 5 27 12 10 20

Affiliation

Catholic................................ 19 21 7 29978

Other religious ..................... 5 8 5 26 16 13 28

Nonsectarian ........................ 21 12 5 24 9 7 21

Instructional level

Elementary........................... 11 15 6 24 11 10 23

Secondary ............................ 22 14 4 31 18 3 7

Combined............................. 12 7 4 32 15 13 17

Internet access

Has access............................ 16 17 6 31 13 9 8

No access ............................. 4 5 4 20 11 12 44

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ....................... 3 6 4 23 17 14 33

150 to 299 ............................ 12 20 7 32 10 9 10

300 or more.......................... 31 17 6 27766

Type of locale

City ...................................... 17 17 7 26 10 9 14

Urban fringe......................... 13 14 5 25 9 14 21

Town.................................... 7 5 4 30 21 4 29

Rural .................................... 2 7 0 33 20 9 29

Geographic region

Northeast.............................. 19 14 8 20 8 7 23

Southeast.............................. 11 8 7 23 13 14 23

Central ................................. 9 14 3 30 17 10 17

West..................................... 10 15 4 33 10 9 19

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............... 8 11 5 19 18 7 31

6 to 20 percent...................... 15 14 5 37 11 9 9

21 to 49 percent.................... 17 14 5 23 14 13 15

50 percent or more ............... 8 14 7 27 6 14 23

NOTE: Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-58

Table B-24a.—Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools reporting the

various individuals primarily responsible for supporting advanced

telecommunications in the school, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Full-time paid

technology

director/

coordinator

Part-time paid

technology

director/

coordinator

Consultant/

outside

contractor

Teacher or

other staff as

part of formal

responsibilities

Teacher or

other staff as

volunteers

Other

volunteers or

someone else

No one

All private schools............... 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.7 1.7 1.3 1.8

Affiliation

Catholic................................ 1.9 1.9 1.5 2.8 1.7 1.5 1.9

Other religious ..................... 0.9 1.4 1.3 2.8 2.9 2.2 3.1

Nonsectarian ........................ 3.1 2.6 2.3 3.5 2.4 2.9 4.0

Instructional level

Elementary........................... 1.1 1.4 1.2 2.1 2.0 1.5 2.3

Secondary ............................ 2.7 2.5 1.2 4.7 4.9 1.5 3.1

Combined............................. 1.7 2.0 1.7 4.8 3.6 3.3 3.7

Internet access

Has access............................ 1.2 1.2 1.1 2.4 1.8 1.5 1.7

No access ............................. 1.1 1.4 1.5 3.1 2.8 3.0 4.2

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ....................... 0.9 1.5 1.5 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.2

150 to 299 ............................ 2.1 2.3 1.5 2.9 1.9 1.9 2.4

300 or more.......................... 2.1 2.3 1.2 2.9 1.6 1.7 1.5

Type of locale

City ...................................... 1.9 1.8 1.6 2.7 1.8 1.8 2.3

Urban fringe......................... 1.7 2.3 1.5 2.4 2.4 2.6 3.4

Town.................................... 2.1 1.9 2.1 5.7 5.4 2.7 5.7

Rural .................................... 1.2 2.8 0.5 8.1 7.4 4.8 8.7

Geographic region

Northeast.............................. 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.6 2.9 4.4

Southeast.............................. 2.1 2.7 2.3 4.1 2.9 3.3 4.4

Central ................................. 1.6 2.0 1.1 3.3 3.5 2.1 3.4

West..................................... 1.8 2.8 1.9 4.3 2.4 2.2 3.5

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............... 1.5 2.1 1.8 3.4 3.9 2.6 4.6

6 to 20 percent...................... 1.9 2.5 1.1 4.0 2.8 2.4 2.2

21 to 49 percent.................... 2.6 2.4 2.2 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.6

50 percent or more ............... 2.3 2.9 2.7 3.8 1.7 3.5 4.3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-59

Table B-25.—Among private schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications, percentage distribution of schools indicating the number of

individuals providing support, by level of support and school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

Total number of

individuals Number of full-time individuals Number of part-time individuals School characteristic

1 2+ None 1 2+ None 1 2+

All private schools............. 70 30 63 25 12 25 48 28

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 66 34 61 30 10 27 43 30

Other religious ................... 74 26 72 17 11 21 55 24

Nonsectarian ...................... 63 37 52 28 20 30 36 34

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 68 32 63 27 10 25 45 30

Secondary .......................... 64 36 56 32 12 29 40 31

Combined........................... 76 24 67 16 17 23 57 20

Internet access

Has access.......................... 64 36 61 26 13 26 43 31

No access ........................... 86 14 71 21 9 21 63 16

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 79 21 77 14 9 18 61 21

150 to 299 .......................... 64 36 65 26 9 25 44 31

300 or more........................ 62 38 47 35 18 33 35 32

Type of locale

City .................................... 66 34 61 27 12 25 44 31

Urban fringe....................... 73 27 62 25 12 24 49 27

Town.................................. 67 33 68 20 12 26 52 22

Rural .................................. 78 22 70 20 10 24 53 23

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 70 30 57 28 15 29 45 27

Southeast............................ 69 31 58 31 11 32 45 23

Central ............................... 69 31 65 26 9 23 50 28

West................................... 70 30 70 16 14 18 50 33

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 63 37 69 17 14 22 46 32

6 to 20 percent.................... 74 26 68 22 10 21 52 26

21 to 49 percent.................. 63 37 57 28 14 29 40 31

50 percent or more ............. 75 24 63 29 9 28 52 21

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-60

Table B-25a.—Among private schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications, standard errors of the percentage distribution of schools

indicating the number of individuals providing support, by level of support and

school characteristics: School year 1998-99

Total number of

individuals Number of full-time individuals Number of part-time individuals School characteristic

1 2+ None 1 2+ None 1 2+

All private schools............. 2.5 2.5 1.9 1.8 1.3 1.9 2.9 2.2

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 4.0 4.0 2.9 2.9 1.9 2.7 3.6 3.4

Other religious ................... 3.0 3.0 4.0 2.9 2.1 3.7 4.5 3.0

Nonsectarian ...................... 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.1 3.3 4.6 4.5 4.1

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 3.3 3.3 2.5 2.4 1.8 2.4 3.2 3.1

Secondary .......................... 6.9 6.9 5.3 5.9 1.9 5.4 5.7 4.6

Combined........................... 4.0 4.2 4.8 3.4 2.5 4.5 4.7 3.4

Internet access

Has access.......................... 2.8 2.8 2.2 2.0 1.5 1.9 3.0 2.4

No access ........................... 2.7 2.7 4.4 3.8 3.1 4.0 5.4 3.5

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 4.4 4.4 3.6 3.3 2.4 3.6 4.6 3.6

150 to 299 .......................... 4.4 4.4 3.3 3.4 2.3 2.7 3.7 3.6

300 or more........................ 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.1 2.9 2.7 2.9

Type of locale

City .................................... 3.8 3.8 2.5 2.5 2.1 2.6 3.6 3.3

Urban fringe....................... 2.8 2.8 3.6 3.4 1.9 3.3 3.5 3.6

Town.................................. 6.7 6.7 6.2 5.0 4.6 5.7 6.5 5.8

Rural .................................. 7.8 7.8 9.6 8.3 5.9 8.6 9.4 6.9

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.0 2.6 3.8 4.1 3.6

Southeast............................ 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 2.4 4.7 4.8 3.7

Central ............................... 5.4 5.4 4.3 3.6 2.6 3.8 5.1 3.9

West................................... 4.9 4.9 3.8 2.6 2.8 3.0 5.6 5.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 6.9 6.9 4.2 2.7 3.4 3.7 6.1 4.8

6 to 20 percent.................... 3.7 3.7 3.3 2.9 1.7 2.6 4.7 3.7

21 to 49 percent.................. 5.0 5.0 4.1 3.5 2.7 3.8 4.3 4.2

50 percent or more ............. 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.3 2.7 4.7 5.3 3.9

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-61

Table B-26.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may help teachers integrate technology into the curriculum,

percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of help, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools............. 12 29 40 19

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 18 38 33 11

Other religious ................... 3 22 50 25

Nonsectarian ...................... 16 28 30 25

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 14 33 36 17

Secondary .......................... 17 32 38 13

Combined........................... 4 19 50 27

Internet access

Has access.......................... 14 32 38 16

No access ........................... 4 20 46 30

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 5 21 49 25

150 to 299 .......................... 9 32 39 20

300 or more........................ 20 38 31 11

Type of locale

City .................................... 13 32 38 17

Urban fringe....................... 12 31 37 20

Town.................................. 8 24 39 30

Rural .................................. 11 17 59 12

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 13 38 34 15

Southeast............................ 10 27 40 23

Central ............................... 11 30 39 20

West................................... 13 24 45 18

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 13 22 46 20

6 to 20 percent.................... 9 31 44 16

21 to 49 percent.................. 14 33 35 18

50 percent or more ............. 8 31 35 26

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-62

Table B-26a.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may help teachers integrate technology into the

curriculum, standard errors of the percentage distribution of schools indicating the

extent of help, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools............. 1.2 2.0 2.4 1.7

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 2.2 3.0 3.0 2.2

Other religious ................... 0.9 2.8 4.1 3.2

Nonsectarian ...................... 3.3 4.6 4.7 4.8

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 1.7 2.9 3.1 2.4

Secondary .......................... 4.3 4.6 4.6 2.8

Combined........................... 1.0 3.4 4.9 4.2

Internet access

Has access.......................... 1.5 2.1 2.5 1.6

No access ........................... 1.6 4.3 5.3 4.4

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 1.7 3.1 4.4 3.8

150 to 299 .......................... 1.9 3.3 4.0 3.0

300 or more........................ 2.3 2.8 2.8 1.6

Type of locale

City .................................... 2.0 3.1 3.3 2.1

Urban fringe....................... 2.1 2.8 4.2 3.3

Town.................................. 2.9 6.2 7.1 6.4

Rural .................................. 6.9 6.2 8.3 7.3

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 2.4 3.3 4.0 3.6

Southeast............................ 3.1 3.5 4.7 4.4

Central ............................... 1.9 4.1 4.0 3.0

West................................... 2.7 3.6 4.2 3.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 3.1 3.6 5.8 3.7

6 to 20 percent.................... 1.6 3.4 4.3 2.8

21 to 49 percent.................. 2.8 4.3 4.3 3.3

50 percent or more ............. 2.6 5.6 5.5 4.7

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-63

Table B-27.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may provide network technical support, percentage

distribution of schools indicating the extent of support, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

School characteristic Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools............. 20 22 21 37

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 19 25 21 35

Other religious ................... 15 22 23 41

Nonsectarian ...................... 40 17 13 29

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 18 22 21 38

Secondary .......................... 32 25 23 19

Combined........................... 20 20 18 42

Internet access

Has access.......................... 25 24 23 28

No access ........................... 5 15 13 68

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 13 21 20 47

150 to 299 .......................... 15 20 26 39

300 or more........................ 36 27 15 21

Type of locale

City .................................... 24 21 20 35

Urban fringe....................... 23 24 19 35

Town.................................. 8 17 28 46

Rural .................................. 11 26 22 41

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 26 18 17 39

Southeast............................ 14 25 20 41

Central ............................... 16 23 26 35

West................................... 26 22 18 34

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 21 17 25 36

6 to 20 percent.................... 20 24 22 34

21 to 49 percent.................. 24 22 19 34

50 percent or more ............. 14 25 16 45

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-64

Table B-27a.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced

telecommunications that may provide network technical support, standard errors of

the percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of support, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools............. 1.7 1.7 1.7 2.3

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 2.3 2.2 2.5 3.1

Other religious ................... 2.2 2.7 2.7 3.5

Nonsectarian ...................... 4.7 3.8 3.4 4.2

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 2.5 2.2 2.3 3.1

Secondary .......................... 4.2 3.1 4.3 5.5

Combined........................... 2.6 4.0 3.1 4.9

Internet access

Has access.......................... 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.2

No access ........................... 1.8 3.1 3.5 5.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 3.1 2.9 3.3 4.2

150 to 299 .......................... 2.1 2.6 3.4 4.3

300 or more........................ 2.6 2.9 2.3 2.4

Type of locale

City .................................... 2.6 2.3 2.6 3.7

Urban fringe....................... 3.1 3.4 3.0 3.8

Town.................................. 2.8 4.3 6.0 7.7

Rural .................................. 6.4 6.5 7.2 8.4

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 3.9 3.4 3.8 4.2

Southeast............................ 2.6 3.4 3.1 5.0

Central ............................... 2.6 2.9 3.8 4.2

West................................... 4.1 3.8 2.9 5.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 4.2 3.1 5.1 5.6

6 to 20 percent.................... 2.3 3.3 2.8 4.0

21 to 49 percent.................. 3.5 3.4 3.9 4.4

50 percent or more ............. 3.4 4.3 3.8 5.4

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-65

Table B-28.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced telecommunications that may involve students in the maintenance of telecommunications

systems, percentage distribution of schools indicating the extent of involvement, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools............. 6 13 28 54

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 7 14 30 49

Other religious ................... 2 11 25 62

Nonsectarian ...................... 10 19 25 46

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 5 12 26 58

Secondary .......................... 11 17 35 37

Combined........................... 5 15 29 52

Internet access

Has access.......................... 7 14 31 49

No access ........................... 2 11 17 70

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 6 13 22 60

150 to 299 .......................... 4 14 28 55

300 or more........................ 6 14 34 46

Type of locale

City .................................... 4 12 29 55

Urban fringe....................... 7 12 30 51

Town.................................. 5 10 22 63

Rural .................................. 9 24 21 46

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 5 13 29 53

Southeast............................ 6 10 23 60

Central ............................... 5 11 28 55

West................................... 6 17 28 49

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 8 10 29 53

6 to 20 percent.................... 5 16 28 51

21 to 49 percent.................. 5 13 20 62

50 percent or more ............. 3 12 30 55

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-66

Table B-28a.—Among private schools with at least one individual supporting advanced telecommunications that may involve students in the maintenance of

telecommunications systems, standard errors of the percentage distribution of

schools indicating the extent of involvement, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99

School characteristic Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all

All private schools............. 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.6

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 1.6 1.8 2.6 2.8

Other religious ................... 1.2 2.3 2.5 2.5

Nonsectarian ...................... 3.6 3.7 4.8 5.1

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 1.3 1.4 1.9 2.3

Secondary .......................... 4.5 2.6 4.5 4.3

Combined........................... 1.9 3.6 4.3 5.0

Internet access

Has access.......................... 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.2

No access ........................... 1.1 3.6 3.4 4.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.5

150 to 299 .......................... 1.5 2.4 2.5 3.4

300 or more........................ 1.3 1.8 2.7 2.7

Type of locale

City .................................... 1.1 2.0 2.7 3.0

Urban fringe....................... 2.3 2.2 3.5 3.7

Town.................................. 2.2 3.2 6.0 6.0

Rural .................................. 6.7 8.2 5.3 10.2

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 1.8 2.9 3.6 3.8

Southeast............................ 2.9 2.8 3.6 4.0

Central ............................... 1.8 2.8 3.1 3.9

West................................... 2.2 3.4 4.1 4.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 2.8 2.5 3.8 4.3

6 to 20 percent.................... 1.7 2.9 2.9 3.5

21 to 49 percent.................. 1.6 2.8 3.3 3.6

50 percent or more ............. 1.6 3.5 4.2 4.6

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with at least one individual providing support for advanced

telecommunications—80 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-67

Table B-29.—Percentage distribution of private schools reporting the extent to which various

factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of computers/advanced

telecommunications: School year 1998-99

Barrier Major

barrier

Moderate

barrier Minor barrier Not a barrier

Lack of or poor equipment ...................................... 23 24 19 34

Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities..... 14 16 21 50

Insufficient budget for hardware/software

purchases ............................................................ 45 23 13 19

Lack of quality software for instructional

purposes.............................................................. 15 23 25 38

Insufficient level of E-rate discount ........................ 14 8 13 51

Problems with telecommunication providers .......... 6 6 16 74

Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of

interest ................................................................ 8 12 26 54

Lack of technical support or advice......................... 14 19 26 41

Lack of teacher training .......................................... 13 29 28 30

Concern about student access to inappropriate

materials.............................................................. 18 18 25 39

NOTE: Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-68

Table B-29a.—Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools reporting the

extent to which various factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of

computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99

Barrier Major

barrier

Moderate

barrier Minor barrier Not a barrier

Lack of or poor equipment ...................................... 2.4 1.6 1.3 2.2

Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities..... 1.9 1.5 1.7 2.4

Insufficient budget for hardware/software

purchases ............................................................ 2.0 1.4 1.2 1.8

Lack of quality software for instructional

purposes.............................................................. 1.6 1.8 1.6 2.1

Insufficient level of E-rate discount ........................ 1.4 0.9 1.2 2.3

Problems with telecommunication providers .......... 1.0 0.9 1.3 1.5

Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of

interest ................................................................ 1.1 1.3 1.7 1.8

Lack of technical support or advice......................... 1.3 1.6 2.1 2.2

Lack of teacher training .......................................... 1.5 1.8 1.7 2.1

Concern about student access to inappropriate

materials.............................................................. 1.5 1.4 1.8 2.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-69

Table B-30.—Percentage distribution of private schools with Internet access reporting the extent to

which various factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of

computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99

Barrier Major

barrier

Moderate

barrier Minor barrier Not a barrier

Lack of or poor equipment ...................................... 20 28 23 29

Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities..... 12 17 23 47

Insufficient budget for hardware/software

purchases ............................................................ 44 29 15 12

Lack of quality software for instructional

purposes.............................................................. 12 27 28 33

Insufficient level of E-rate discount ........................ 15 9 16 46

Problems with telecommunication providers .......... 4 7 18 71

Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of

interest ................................................................ 6 14 31 49

Lack of technical support or advice......................... 12 22 31 35

Lack of teacher training .......................................... 12 32 35 22

Concern about student access to inappropriate

materials.............................................................. 12 19 31 38

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools. Percentages are

computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-70

Table B-30a.—Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools with Internet

access reporting the extent to which various factors were barriers to either the

acquisition or use of computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99

Barrier Major

barrier

Moderate

barrier Minor barrier Not a barrier

Lack of or poor equipment ...................................... 2.3 2.0 1.5 2.2

Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities..... 1.9 2.0 2.0 2.3

Insufficient budget for hardware/software

purchases ............................................................ 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.6

Lack of quality software for instructional

purposes.............................................................. 1.8 2.1 2.3 2.0

Insufficient level of E-rate discount ........................ 1.8 1.1 1.6 2.7

Problems with telecommunication providers .......... 1.0 1.1 1.8 2.1

Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of

interest ................................................................ 0.9 1.7 2.3 2.2

Lack of technical support or advice......................... 1.4 2.0 2.4 2.4

Lack of teacher training .......................................... 1.5 2.0 2.1 2.2

Concern about student access to inappropriate

materials.............................................................. 1.6 1.6 1.9 2.4

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools with Internet access—67 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-71

Table B-31.—Percentage distribution of private schools without Internet access reporting the

extent to which various factors were barriers to either the acquisition or use of

computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99

Barrier Major

barrier

Moderate

barrier Minor barrier Not a barrier

Lack of or poor equipment ...................................... 30 16 10 45

Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities..... 16 13 16 55

Insufficient budget for hardware/software

purchases ............................................................ 46 13 9 32

Lack of quality software for instructional

purposes.............................................................. 19 15 18 48

Insufficient level of E-rate discount ........................ 13 6 6 61

Problems with telecommunication providers .......... 11 4 6 78

Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of

interest ................................................................ 10 9 16 64

Lack of technical support or advice......................... 18 14 16 53

Lack of teacher training .......................................... 16 23 15 47

Concern about student access to inappropriate

materials.............................................................. 30 15 15 41

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools without Internet access—33 percent of private schools. Percentages are

computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-72

Table B-31a.—Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools without Internet

access reporting the extent to which various factors were barriers to either the

acquisition or use of computers/advanced telecommunications: School year 1998-99

Barrier Major

barrier

Moderate

barrier Minor barrier Not a barrier

Lack of or poor equipment ...................................... 4.7 2.8 2.2 4.3

Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities..... 3.2 2.6 2.7 4.4

Insufficient budget for hardware/software

purchases ............................................................ 4.6 2.5 1.9 4.3

Lack of quality software for instructional

purposes.............................................................. 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.9

Insufficient level of E-rate discount ........................ 2.3 2.0 1.6 3.1

Problems with telecommunication providers .......... 2.6 1.5 1.9 2.9

Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of

interest ................................................................ 2.9 2.1 2.8 3.7

Lack of technical support or advice......................... 3.1 2.8 3.0 4.2

Lack of teacher training .......................................... 2.9 3.3 2.7 4.1

Concern about student access to inappropriate

materials.............................................................. 3.9 2.7 2.8 3.9

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools not with Internet access—33 percent of private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-73

Table B-32.—Percent of private schools indicating the various programs, organizations, or

individuals that support advanced telecommunications in the school: School year

1998-99

Source of support Percent of shcools

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund ............................................. 3

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant ........................................ 2

E-rate under Telecommunications Act............................................ 13

Title IV of ESEA............................................................................. 15

Other state/federal government programs ....................................... 10

College or university....................................................................... 3

Business or industry........................................................................ 22

Other community nonprofit............................................................. 9

Central administrative/diocese ........................................................ 14

Teachers.......................................................................................... 21

Students........................................................................................... 9

Parents or other community members............................................. 57

Other ............................................................................................... 7

NOTE: Schools could report more than one source of support for advanced telecommunications.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-74

Table B-32a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating the various programs,

organizations, or individuals that support advanced telecommunications in the

school: School year 1998-99

Source of support Percent of schools

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund ............................................. 0.6

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant ........................................ 0.4

E-rate under Telecommunications Act............................................ 1.1

Title IV of ESEA............................................................................. 1.4

Other state/federal government programs ....................................... 1.0

College or university....................................................................... 0.5

Business or industry........................................................................ 1.6

Other community nonprofit............................................................. 1.4

Central administrative/diocese ........................................................ 1.6

Teachers.......................................................................................... 1.8

Students........................................................................................... 1.2

Parents or other community members............................................. 2.1

Other ............................................................................................... 1.0

NOTE: Schools could report more than one source of support for advanced telecommunications.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-75

Table B-33.—Percent of private schools indicating the various types of support for advanced

telecommunications the school, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Funds Hardware Software Training Technical

assistance

Network

access

All private schools.............................. 55 49 44 28 37 19

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 73 62 51 41 46 25

Other religious .................................... 46 43 41 22 31 15

Nonsectarian ....................................... 47 45 38 20 32 20

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 57 50 43 30 39 19

Secondary ........................................... 62 47 38 34 40 30

Combined............................................ 47 46 48 23 32 16

Internet access

Has access........................................... 65 57 52 37 46 25

No access ............................................ 36 32 29 11 20 8

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 41 40 40 19 32 15

150 to 299 ........................................... 66 55 48 34 38 18

300 or more......................................... 69 61 47 38 44 28

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 61 52 46 34 38 21

Urban fringe........................................ 56 50 47 29 42 20

Town................................................... 45 44 34 16 26 16

Rural ................................................... 48 38 43 23 35 16

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 57 45 42 29 30 18

Southeast............................................. 53 49 43 23 33 16

Central ................................................ 57 47 41 31 37 21

West.................................................... 54 55 50 29 48 21

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 52 44 44 30 35 19

6 to 20 percent..................................... 62 58 54 32 41 17

21 to 49 percent................................... 58 56 46 36 46 25

50 percent or more .............................. 51 40 30 15 23 17

NOTE: The various types of support reported in this table were provided by programs, organizations, or individuals identified in table B-32.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-76

Table B-33a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools indicating the various types of

support for advanced telecommunications in the school, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

School characteristic Funds Hardware Software Training Technical

assistance

Network

access

All private schools.............................. 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.7

Affiliation

Catholic............................................... 2.8 3.0 3.1 3.0 2.8 3.2

Other religious .................................... 3.2 3.2 3.2 2.8 2.9 2.4

Nonsectarian ....................................... 4.4 4.7 4.0 2.9 4.6 3.6

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................... 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.3 2.3 2.0

Secondary ........................................... 5.3 5.2 4.5 5.0 5.2 5.3

Combined............................................ 4.2 4.3 4.4 3.3 4.2 2.9

Internet access

Has access........................................... 2.4 2.5 2.2 2.5 2.6 2.3

No access ............................................ 4.4 4.1 4.0 2.3 3.1 1.8

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................... 3.7 3.8 4.0 3.4 3.7 2.6

150 to 299 ........................................... 3.3 2.8 3.3 3.4 2.9 2.9

300 or more......................................... 2.3 2.2 2.6 2.7 2.9 2.9

Type of locale

City ..................................................... 3.2 3.1 3.3 2.8 2.9 2.9

Urban fringe........................................ 3.0 3.4 3.7 3.3 3.4 2.4

Town................................................... 6.0 6.1 5.7 4.3 5.3 4.2

Rural ................................................... 8.6 8.5 8.7 8.1 7.8 6.1

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 4.6 4.6 4.6 3.6 3.0 2.9

Southeast............................................. 5.1 3.7 4.2 3.1 3.7 3.0

Central ................................................ 4.1 4.0 3.4 3.6 3.7 3.0

West.................................................... 4.5 4.0 4.3 3.7 4.5 3.5

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................. 4.5 4.6 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.5

6 to 20 percent..................................... 3.7 3.4 3.7 3.2 4.0 2.1

21 to 49 percent................................... 4.4 3.7 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.0

50 percent or more .............................. 4.9 4.0 4.0 2.9 3.8 3.3

NOTE: The various types of support reported in this table were provided by programs, organizations, or individuals identified in table B-32.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-77

Table B-34.—Percent of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program,

by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Applied for E-rate discount

All private schools...................................................................... 24

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 51

Other religious ............................................................................ 9

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 15

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 27

Secondary ................................................................................... 34

Combined.................................................................................... 13

Internet access

Has access................................................................................... 31

No access .................................................................................... 12

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 8

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 31

300 or more................................................................................. 46

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 27

Urban fringe................................................................................ 27

Town........................................................................................... 19

Rural ........................................................................................... 13

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 37

Southeast..................................................................................... 19

Central ........................................................................................ 26

West............................................................................................ 15

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 24

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 30

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 23

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 18

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-78

Table B-34a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate

discount program, by school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Applied for E-rate discount

All private schools...................................................................... 1.3

Affiliation

Catholic....................................................................................... 3.2

Other religious ............................................................................ 1.7

Nonsectarian ............................................................................... 2.7

Instructional level

Elementary.................................................................................. 1.7

Secondary ................................................................................... 4.0

Combined.................................................................................... 2.4

Internet access

Has access................................................................................... 1.7

No access .................................................................................... 2.2

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 .............................................................................. 1.7

150 to 299 ................................................................................... 3.2

300 or more................................................................................. 3.0

Type of locale

City ............................................................................................. 2.3

Urban fringe................................................................................ 2.5

Town........................................................................................... 3.9

Rural ........................................................................................... 4.4

Geographic region

Northeast..................................................................................... 3.5

Southeast..................................................................................... 2.7

Central ........................................................................................ 3.4

West............................................................................................ 2.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent...................................................................... 3.7

6 to 20 percent............................................................................. 2.7

21 to 49 percent........................................................................... 3.1

50 percent or more ...................................................................... 3.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-79

Table B-35.—Percent of private schools that did not apply for the 1998 E-rate discount program,

and percent giving various reasons for not applying, by school characteristics:

School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Percent of

private

schools that

did not apply

for discount

Discount too

low

Application

process too

complicated

Never heard

of program

Opposed to

program in

principle

Other reasons

All private schools............. 76 10 24 50 8 23

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 49 20 48 15 1 35

Other religious ................... 91 8 17 59 11 20

Nonsectarian ...................... 85 6 17 60 3 21

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 73 13 28 42 7 27

Secondary .......................... 66 8 32 45 5 21

Combined........................... 87 5 12 68 10 15

Internet access

Has access.......................... 69 14 33 41 6 21

No access ........................... 88 4 8 64 11 26

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 92 4 14 66 9 18

150 to 299 .......................... 69 19 32 34 6 30

300 or more........................ 54 18 40 22 7 33

Type of locale

City .................................... 73 15 29 44 4 25

Urban fringe....................... 81 11 22 52 8 21

Town.................................. 87 3 18 49 15 24

Rural .................................. 76 2 17 64 9 22

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 63 11 20 45 5 31

Southeast............................ 81 9 15 61 10 20

Central ............................... 74 12 32 42 6 24

West................................... 85 8 23 52 10 20

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 76 7 20 53 11 26

6 to 20 percent.................... 70 12 28 44 7 22

21 to 49 percent.................. 77 16 29 41 9 26

50 percent or more ............. 82 7 17 61 3 22

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools that did not apply for the 1998 E-rate discount program—76 percent of

private schools. Percents do not sum to 100 because schools could give more than one reason for not applying for the 1998 discount program.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-80

Table B-35a.—Standard errors of the percent of private schools that did not apply for the 1998 Erate discount program, and percent giving various reasons for not applying, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic

Percent of

private

schools that

did not apply

for discount

Discount too

low

Application

process too

complicated

Never heard

of program

Opposed to

program in

principle

Other reasons

All private schools............. 1.3 1.3 2.2 2.2 1.4 1.6

Affiliation

Catholic.............................. 3.2 3.7 5.5 4.1 1.0 4.0

Other religious ................... 1.7 1.4 2.4 2.6 2.1 2.4

Nonsectarian ...................... 2.7 2.1 3.5 5.0 1.6 3.9

Instructional level

Elementary......................... 1.7 1.8 3.3 2.9 1.8 2.4

Secondary .......................... 4.0 2.6 7.4 8.0 2.6 3.5

Combined........................... 2.4 1.4 2.8 4.1 2.9 3.0

Internet access

Has access.......................... 6.9 2.2 3.4 3.5 1.5 2.0

No access ........................... 8.8 1.4 1.9 3.4 2.9 3.5

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................... 1.7 1.2 2.7 2.8 2.3 2.3

150 to 299 .......................... 3.2 3.0 4.0 3.8 1.8 3.8

300 or more........................ 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.1 2.1 3.2

Type of locale

City .................................... 2.3 2.9 3.4 4.0 1.2 3.2

Urban fringe....................... 2.5 2.4 3.3 3.6 2.5 3.2

Town.................................. 3.9 1.7 6.3 7.8 5.3 6.3

Rural .................................. 4.4 1.6 5.9 8.6 6.3 7.5

Geographic region

Northeast............................ 3.5 3.1 5.2 6.0 2.5 5.3

Southeast............................ 2.7 2.3 3.6 5.0 3.2 4.1

Central ............................... 3.4 2.4 4.2 5.0 2.6 3.3

West................................... 2.7 2.8 3.7 4.4 2.8 3.1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............. 3.7 2.1 4.0 5.4 4.1 5.2

6 to 20 percent.................... 2.7 2.9 3.9 4.4 2.5 3.6

21 to 49 percent.................. 3.1 3.0 4.4 5.4 2.4 3.9

50 percent or more ............. 3.2 2.5 3.3 3.8 1.4 3.8

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools that did not apply for the 1998 E-rate discount program—76 percent of

private schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-81

Table B-36.—Of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate program, percentage distribution

of the percent discount for which they were eligible, by school characteristics: School

year 1998-99

School characteristic 20 percent

discount

40 percent

discount

50 percent

discount

60 percent

discount or

higher

All private schools.............................................. 18 44 15 22

Affiliation

Catholic............................................................... 18 45 14 23

Other religious .................................................... 25 39 19 16

Nonsectarian ....................................................... 14 54 22 9

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................................... 20 41 15 24

Secondary ........................................................... 17 51 14 18

Combined............................................................ 13 55 18 13

Internet access

Has access........................................................... 19 47 17 17

No access ............................................................ 16 30 5 50

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................................... 24 26 28 22

150 to 299 ........................................................... 11 42 16 30

300 or more......................................................... 23 52 12 13

Type of locale

City ..................................................................... 20 41 9 30

Urban fringe........................................................ 21 62 8 9

Town................................................................... 12 9 54 26

Rural ................................................................... 3 11 44 42

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................. 15 47 12 26

Southeast............................................................. 37 38 14 12

Central ................................................................ 16 45 21 19

West.................................................................... 15 43 12 30

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................................. 25 46 12 17

6 to 20 percent..................................................... 18 55 17 9

21 to 49 percent................................................... 19 48 21 12

50 percent or more .............................................. 6 22 10 62

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program—24 percent of private

schools. Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-82

Table B-36a.—Of private schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate program, standard errors of the

percentage distribution of the percent discount for which they were eligible, by

school characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic 20 percent

discount

40 percent

discount

50 percent

discount

60 percent

discount or

higher

All private schools.............................................. 2.9 4.0 2.8 3.3

Affiliation

Catholic............................................................... 3.3 4.7 3.1 4.2

Other religious .................................................... 8.8 9.6 7.6 7.3

Nonsectarian ....................................................... 6.2 10.0 8.9 6.4

Instructional level

Elementary.......................................................... 3.7 5.0 3.6 4.6

Secondary ........................................................... 3.9 5.3 3.6 4.3

Combined............................................................ 4.6 8.2 7.5 6.1

Internet access

Has access........................................................... 3.1 4.4 3.3 3.2

No access ............................................................ 7.6 9.8 4.7 9.8

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ...................................................... 13.0 12.1 13.1 11.3

150 to 299 ........................................................... 4.1 7.2 4.4 5.9

300 or more......................................................... 3.8 4.0 2.7 2.7

Type of locale

City ..................................................................... 4.8 5.6 3.3 5.3

Urban fringe........................................................ 5.0 5.8 3.2 3.9

Town................................................................... 8.0 7.0 12.0 11.3

Rural ................................................................... 3.6 11.8 3.9 22.4

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................. 4.6 7.2 3.5 5.0

Southeast............................................................. 9.5 9.5 6.8 6.6

Central ................................................................ 5.4 6.2 5.8 6.1

West.................................................................... 6.9 8.6 6.2 10.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent.............................................. 7.4 8.3 4.5 6.3

6 to 20 percent..................................................... 4.5 6.4 5.4 3.5

21 to 49 percent................................................... 6.3 8.2 8.0 6.1

50 percent or more .............................................. 4.6 7.0 5.5 9.9

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the number of schools that applied for the 1998 E-rate discount program—24 percent of private

schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-83

Table 37.—Percentage distribution of private schools indicating their decision to apply or not apply

for the 1999-2000 E-rate discount program, by school characteristics: School year

1998-99

School characteristic Have applied or

plan to apply

Not going to

apply Undecided

All private schools............................................................................. 39 57 4

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 69 29 2

Other religious ................................................................................... 18 76 6

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 35 62 3

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 43 54 3

Secondary .......................................................................................... 56 43 1

Combined........................................................................................... 23 71 6

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 50 46 4

No access ........................................................................................... 18 78 3

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 18 77 5

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 55 41 4

300 or more........................................................................................ 57 41 1

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 47 49 4

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 39 56 5

Town.................................................................................................. 31 67 2

Rural .................................................................................................. 23 75 2

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 53 45 3

Southeast............................................................................................ 36 61 3

Central ............................................................................................... 37 61 2

West................................................................................................... 31 60 8

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 36 61 3

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 39 56 5

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 40 54 6

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 40 58 2

NOTE: Percentages are computed across each row but may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-84

Table 37a.—Standard errors of the percentage distribution of private schools indicating their

decision to apply or not apply for the 1999-2000 E-rate discount program, by school

characteristics: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Have applied or

plan to apply

Not going to

apply Undecided

All private schools............................................................................. 1.5 1.5 0.9

Affiliation

Catholic.............................................................................................. 3.1 3.0 0.9

Other religious ................................................................................... 2.5 2.5 1.6

Nonsectarian ...................................................................................... 3.8 4.0 1.6

Instructional level

Elementary......................................................................................... 2.0 2.2 1.1

Secondary .......................................................................................... 4.4 4.3 0.6

Combined........................................................................................... 2.8 2.7 2.3

Internet access

Has access.......................................................................................... 1.9 2.0 1.1

No access ........................................................................................... 2.2 2.4 1.6

Size of enrollment

Less than 150 ..................................................................................... 3.0 3.0 1.6

150 to 299 .......................................................................................... 3.0 3.2 1.3

300 or more........................................................................................ 2.6 2.6 0.7

Type of locale

City .................................................................................................... 2.6 2.9 1.5

Urban fringe....................................................................................... 3.1 3.3 1.7

Town.................................................................................................. 4.7 5.1 1.5

Rural .................................................................................................. 5.6 5.6 1.6

Geographic region

Northeast............................................................................................ 3.8 4.1 1.1

Southeast............................................................................................ 5.4 5.0 1.4

Central ............................................................................................... 3.2 3.4 1.0

West................................................................................................... 4.0 4.4 2.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent............................................................................. 4.0 3.9 1.7

6 to 20 percent.................................................................................... 3.0 3.4 1.7

21 to 49 percent.................................................................................. 4.5 4.8 2.3

50 percent or more ............................................................................. 3.8 4.2 1.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
B-85

Table B-38.—Ratio of students to instructional computer and ratio of students to instructional

computer with Internet access, by school sector, affiliation, and level: School year

1998-99

School characteristic Number of students per

instructional computer

Number of students per

instructional computer

with Internet access

 All public schools.................................................................... 6 12

Level

Elementary ............................................................................................... 6 14

Secondary................................................................................................. 6 10

Combined................................................................................................. * *

 All private schools .................................................................. 8 15

Affiliation and level

Catholic.................................................................................................... 8 19

 Elementary ........................................................................................... 8 26

 Secondary............................................................................................. 8 12

 Combined............................................................................................. 5 8

Other religious.......................................................................................... 9 18

 Elementary ........................................................................................... 9 23

 Secondary............................................................................................. 6 9

 Combined............................................................................................. 9 19

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 6 7

 Elementary ........................................................................................... 9 15

 Secondary............................................................................................. 3 4

 Combined............................................................................................. 5 6

* Too few cases to report the data.

NOTE: Private schools were surveyed during the school year 1998-99. Public schools were surveyed in Fall 1998.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.
APPENDIX C

Survey Questionnaire

for the 1998-99 FRSS Survey

C-1

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FORM APPROVED

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS O.M.B. NO.: 1850-0733

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20208-5651 EXPIRATION DATE: 7/99

ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN U.S. PRIVATE SCHOOLS: 1998-1999

FAST RESPONSE SURVEY SYSTEM

This survey is authorized by law (20 U.S.C. 1221e-1). While you are not required to respond, your cooperation is needed to make the results of

this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

LABEL

IF ABOVE INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, PLEASE MAKE CORRECTIONS DIRECTLY ON LABEL.

Name of person completing form: _____________________________________ Telephone: ________________________

Title/position: ______________________________________________ Number of years at this school: ________________

Best days and times to reach you (in case of questions): _______________________________________________________

E-mail: __________________________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT:

WESTAT Becky Skinner

1650 Research Boulevard 800-937-8281, ext. 2279

Rockville, Maryland 20850 Fax: 1-800-254-0984

Attention: 716604-Skinner E:mail: RAKB1@westat.com

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid

OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information is 1850-0733. The time required to complete this information

collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the

data needed, and complete and review the information collected. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or

suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4651. If you have comments or

concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: National Center for Education Statistics, 555 New

Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20208.

FRSS Form No. 68, 2/99
C-2

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN QUESTIONNAIRE

Advanced telecommunications - refers to modes of communication used to transmit information from one place to another Advanced telecommunications -

including broadcast and interactive television, networked computers, etc.

Cable modem - Cable modem - provides greater bandwidth from Internet Service Providers that enables faster data transfer than is possible using a

33.6 kbps modem, 56 kbps modem, or 128 kbps ISDN connection. Cable networks are supplied by cable companies and

generally use fiber-optic cabling to form connections, although some cable companies may rely on co-axial cabling.

DS1 - refers to a service with digital transmission speed of 1.544 Mega (million) bits per second. DS1 - 

DS3 - refers to a service with digital transmission speed of 45 Mega (million) bits per second.

Dedicated line - Dedicated line - type of account available from an Internet Service Provider where the customer is connected to the Internet 24

hours a day on his/her own individual phone line. This connection is made without a modem.

Dial-up connection - Dial-up connection - customer is only connected to the Internet when his/her modem dials the Internet Service Provider's telephone

number to establish the connection.

Distance learning - Distance learning - refers to the transmission of information from one geographic location to another via various modes of

telecommunications technology. For example, an advanced high school math class in Richmond, Virginia, could receive a

college-level math seminar from the University of Virginia via two-way video.

E-mail (Electronic mail) - E-mail (Electronic mail) - refers to text messages transmitted across networks and usually accessible only by the addressee.

E-rate/Universal Service Schools and Libraries Telecommunication Discount Program - E-rate/Universal Service Schools and Libraries Telecommunication Discount Program - fund created as part of the

Telecommunications Act of 1996 to ensure that all eligible schools (public and private) and libraries in the United States have

affordable access to modern telecommunications and information services.

Schools and Libraries Discount Matrix

Percent of students Discount level

eligible for national

school lunch program

Urban discount

percentage

Rural discount

percentage

<1 20 25

1-19 40 50

20-34 50 60

35-49 60 70

50-74 80 80

75-100 90 90

56Kb - a digital transmission speed of 56 Kilo (thousand) bits per second.

Fractionalized T1 - Fractionalized T1 - T1 line that is split to allow for data communication and voice communication (as opposed to a T1 line used for

data communication only).

Fractionalized T3 - T3 line that is split to allow for data communication and voice communication (as opposed to a T3 line used Fractionalized T3 - for

data communication only).

Instructional rooms - refers to rooms in the school building used for any instructional purposes (includes classrooms, labs, Instructional rooms - 

library/media centers, art rooms, rooms used for vocational or special education, etc.).

Interactive television/computer with two-way audio/visual - television or computer having two-way audio and/or visual Interactive television/computer with two-way audio/visual - 

capabilities that can be used for distance learning or video conferencing.

Internet - Internet - refers to a collection of computer networks interconnected by TCP/IP protocols, sharing the same underlying network

address space as well as the same domain name space, and interconnected into a network of information.

Intranet - Intranet - internal network within a school or business that is based on the same technology as the Internet rather than traditional

local area network (LAN) software.
C-3

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - phone line that moves data digitally and integrates voice and data.

Local area network - Local area network - refers to the linkage of computers and/or peripherals (e.g., printer) confined to a limited area that may consist

of a room, building, or campus that allows users to communicate and share information.

Modem - Modem - refers to a device that connects between a computer and a phone line to translate between the digital signal of the

computer and the analog signal required for telephone transmission.

Multimedia - refers to a computer using any combination of text, full color images and graphics, video, animation, and sound. Multimedia -

T1 - refers to a line with digital transmission speed of 1.544 Mega (million) bits per second.

T3 - refers to a line with digital transmission speed of 45 Mega (million) bits per second. T3 -

Technology Innovation Challenge Grant - Technology Innovation Challenge Grant - program provides funding for teacher preparation and professional development

activities that support the integration of educational technology into the curriculum.

Technology Literacy Challenge Fund - Technology Literacy Challenge Fund - program provides funding to states to effectively increase the capacity of their schools to

integrate educational technology into classrooms.

Title VI - program provides funding for the development of effective curriculum and instruction activities to meet the needs of Title VI - public

schools and participating private schools.

Video conferencing - conference between two or more participants at different locations over the Internet or a private network. Video conferencing - 

Each user has a video camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his/her computer. As the participants speak to one

another, they hear each other's voices and see a video image of the other participant(s).

Wide area network - refers to a data communications linkage designed to connect computers over distances greater than the Wide area network -

distance transmitted by local area networks (e.g., building to building, city to city, across the country, or internationally), that allows

users to communicate and share information, such as the Internet, America Online, CompuServe, etc.

Wireless connection - Wireless connection - refers to the connections to the Internet that do not use wire or cable.

World Wide Web (WWW) - World Wide Web (WWW) - refers to a system that allows access to information sites all over the world using a standard, common

interface to organize and search for information. The WWW simplifies the location and retrieval of various forms of information

including text, audio, and video files. It is the "multimedia" portion of the Internet.
C-4

I. Advanced I. Advanced Advanced Telecommunications Telecommunications

1. For what grade levels does this school offer academic instruction? From _____ (lowest grade) to _____ (highest grade)

2a. What is the total number of computers in this school? ________ Total computers

2b. How many of these computers are used for instructional purposes? ________ Computers for instructional use

3a. Does your school have access to the Internet? Yes ........... 1 No ......... 2 (If no, skip to question 3c.)

3b. In what year did your school obtain access to the Internet? Year ________ (Skip to question 4a.)

3c. Does your school have plans to obtain access to the Internet? Yes ......... 1 No......... 2 (If no, skip to question 5a.)

3d. By what year does your school expect to obtain access to the Internet? Year ________ (Skip to question 5a.)

4a. Of the total number of computers in your school (i.e., those in question 2a), how many currently have access to the Internet? 

________ Computers with Internet access

4b. How many of the computers with Internet access (i.e., those in question 4a) are used for instructional purposes?

________ Instructional computers with Internet access

4c. How many computers in your school that do not currently have access to the Internet are capable of having access to the

Internet? ________ Computers capable of having Internet access

5a. What is the total number of instructional rooms in your school? Include all rooms used for any instructional purposes

(i.e., classrooms, computer and other labs, library/media centers, etc.). __________ Total instructional rooms

5b. How many of these instructional rooms have a computer that is used for instructional purposes?

________ Instructional rooms with computers for instructional use

5c. How many of these instructional rooms have a computer with access to the Internet?

 ________ Instructional rooms with a computer having Internet access (If none, skip to question 6.)

5d. How many of the instructional rooms with Internet access (i.e., those in question 5c) are:

________ Classrooms ________ Computer labs ________ Library/media centers ________ Other instructional rooms

6. Please indicate whether or not each type of equipment or service is available at your school, and where in the school it is

located. (Circle yes or no in each column for each item.)

1

Available

at

school?

2

Available in

administrative

offices?

3

Available

in

classrooms?

4

Available in

computer

labs?

5

Available in

library/

media

centers?

6

Available

in other

instructional

rooms?

Equipment or service

Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No

a. Computer connected to a local area

network..................................................... 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

b. Computer with modem ............................. 121212121212

c. Computer with connection or access to

the Internet Internet Internet ............................................. 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

d. Computer with connection or access

to an Intranet Intranet Intranet ........................................... 121212121212

e. Stand-alone computer (i.e., not

connected to any network)....................... 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

f. Computer with multimedia capabilities

(e.g., CD-ROM, speakers) ........................... 121212121212

g. Interactive television/computer with

two-way audio/visual ................................ 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

7. How many teachers are there in your school? Include all full- and part-time teachers. __________ Teachers

8. Approximately what percent of the teachers in your school regularly use computers/advanced telecommunications

for teaching? _________%

9. Does your school use computers/advanced telecommunications for distance learning? Yes....... 1 No....... 2
C-5

10. How does your school connect to the Internet? (Circle the corresponding numbers of all that apply.)

 Mark this box if your school does not have Internet and skip to question 14.

a. Dial-up connection ................................................ 1 c. ISDN ..................................................................... 7

b. Dedicated line (Indicate the specific

connection(s) used.)

d. Wireless connection.............................................. 8

e. Cable modem....................................................... 9

56kb ...................................................................... 2 f. Other (specify) __________________________ 10

T1/DS1.................................................................. 3

Fractionalized T1 .................................................. 4

T3/DS3.................................................................. 5

Fractionalized T3 .................................................. 6

11. Please indicate who in your school has access to the following Internet resources or capabilities, and the extent to which

they use these resources or capabilities while in the school. (Circle one response for each item.)

Resource If resource available, extent of use

Resource/capability available

Yes No

Not

at all

Small

extent

Moderate

extent

Large

extent

a. E-mail a. E-mail

1. Administrative staff .................... 1 2 1 2 3 4

2. Teachers.................................... 1 2 1234

3. Students .................................... 1 2 1 2 3 4

b. World Wide Web access b. World Wide Web access

1. Administrative staff .................... 1 2 1 2 3 4

2. Teachers.................................... 1 2 1234

3. Students .................................... 1 2 1 2 3 4

12. Does your school have its own web page on the World Wide Web? Yes ......... 1 No ......... 2

13. Can students access the school's computer system from home? Yes ......... 1 No ......... 2

II. Support for Telecommunications II. Support for Telecommunications

14. Does your school offer or participate in the following types of training for teachers?

Yes No

a. Use of computers..................................................... 1 2

b. Use of the Internet ................................................... 1 2

c. Use of other advanced telecommunications............ 1 2

d. Integration of technology into the curriculum ........... 1 2

15. How does your school encourage computer/advanced telecommunications training for teachers? (Circle one.)

a. Mandated by the school, central administration, or diocese................. 1

b. Not mandated, but incentives provided to encourage participation ...... 2

c. Left up to teachers to initiate participation ............................................ 3

d. Other (specify) __________________________________________ 4

16. Who is primarily responsible for supporting advanced telecommunications in your school? (Circle one.)

Full-time, paid technology

director/coordinator................................... 1

Teacher or other staff as part of formal

responsibilities ............................................ 4

Part-time, paid technology

director/coordinator................................... 2

Teacher or other staff as volunteers ........... 5

Other volunteers ......................................... 6

Consultant/outside contractor...................... 3 No one ........................................................ 7 (Skip to question 19.)

Other (specify) _____________________ 8

17. How many individuals are responsible for supporting advanced telecommunications in your school on a:

Full-time basis? ________ Part-time basis? ________

18. To what extent does the technology coordinator and/or other person(s) supporting advanced telecommunications in your

school... (Circle one response for each item.)

Not Small Not Small Moderate Small Moderate Moderate Large

at all extent at all extent extent extent

a. Help teachers integrate technology into the curriculum?.................................. 1234

b. Provide network technical support?.................................................................. 1234

c. Involve students in the maintenance of telecommunication systems? ............. 1234
C-6

19. Did your school apply for the Universal Service Schools and Libraries Telecommunications Discount Program (E-rate) during

the 1998 program year? Yes........ 1 (If yes, skip to question 21.) No ......... 2

20. For which of the following reasons did your school not apply for the E-rate discount? (Circle all that apply and skip to

question 24.)

Discount too low.................................................... 1 Opposed to program in principle........................... 4

Application process too complicated..................... 2 Other (specify) __________________________ 5

Never heard of program ........................................ 3

21. What E-rate percentage discount was your school eligible to receive for the 1998 program year?

(See discount matrix on p. 2.) __________%

22. Has your school received a funding commitment letter for the 1998 E-rate discount program?

Yes........ 1 No......... 2 Have not received notification........... 3

23. Please indicate which telecommunications services, if any, your school applied for under the 1998 E-rate discount program,

and whether the E-rate discount program helped or will help your school acquire the service(s) for the first time.

Was service

requested?

Was service

received?

Was or will be

able to receive

service for first

time because of

E-rate?

Telecommunications service

Yes No Yes No Yes No

a. Basic telephone service........................................................... 1 2 1 2 1 2

b. Internal connections................................................................. 121212

c. Internet access......................................................................... 1 2 1 2 1 2

d. Other telecommunications services (specify) ____________ 121212

24. Has your school applied or does it plan to apply for the E-rate discount during the 1999-2000 program year?

Yes........ 1 No......... 2

25. What programs, organizations, or individuals, aside from the school budget, are supporting advanced telecommunications in

your school with funds, hardware, or software, or by providing or sponsoring training, technical assistance, or network

access? (Circle all that apply.)

Program/organization/individual Program/organization/individual Funds Program/organization/individual Funds Hardware Hardware Hardware Software Software Software Training Training Technical Technical

assistance

Network

access

a. Technology Literacy Challenge Fund ......... 1 2 3 4 5 6

b. Technology Innovation Challenge Grant..... 123456

c. E-rate under Telecommunications Act........ 1 2 3 4 5 6

d. Title VI......................................................... 123456

e. Other state or federal government programs 1 2 3 4 5 6

f. College or university ................................... 123456

g. Business or industry.................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6

h. Other community nonprofit organizations

(e.g., libraries, museums) ........................... 123456

i. Central administration/diocese.................... 1 2 3 4 5 6

j. Teachers ..................................................... 123456

k. Students...................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6

l. Parents or other community members........ 123456

m. Other (specify) _____________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6

III. Barriers III. Barriers

26. Please indicate to what extent, if any, each of the following are barriers to your school's acquisition or usage of

computers/advanced telecommunications capabilities. If your school is currently using computers/advanced telecommunications, please indicate to what extent each of the following are barriers to upgrading or maximizing your school's telecommunications usage. (Circle one response for each item.)

Not a Minor Not a Minor Moderate Moderate Moderate Major

barrier barrier barrier barrier barrier barrier barrier barrier barrier barrier

a. Lack of or poor equipment................................................................................ 1234

b. Outdated physical plant or inadequate facilities ............................................... 1234

c. Insufficient budget for hardware/software purchases ....................................... 1234

d. Lack of quality software for instructional purposes........................................... 1234

e. Insufficient level of E-rate discount................................................................... 1234

f. Problems with telecommunications providers................................................... 1234

g. Administrative/teacher resistance or lack of interest ........................................ 1234

h. Lack of technical support or advice .................................................................. 1234

i. Lack of teacher training .................................................................................... 1234

j. Concern about student access to inappropriate materials ............................... 1234

27. In what year was your school's main instructional building constructed? ___________

THANK YOU!
B-86

Table B-38a.—Standard errors of the ratio of students to instructional computer and ratio of

students to instructional computer with Internet access, by school sector, affiliation,

and level: School year 1998-99

School characteristic Number of students per

instructional computer

Number of students per

instructional computer

with Internet access

 All public schools.................................................................... 0.1 0.6

Level

Elementary ............................................................................................... 0.2 0.9

Secondary................................................................................................. 0.1 0.4

Combined................................................................................................. * *

 All private schools ..................................................................

Affiliation and level

Catholic.................................................................................................... 0.2 1.6

 Elementary ........................................................................................... 0.3 2.9

 Secondary............................................................................................. 0.3 0.9

 Combined............................................................................................. 2.5 10.3

Other religious.......................................................................................... 0.3 1.9

 Elementary ........................................................................................... 0.5 4.1

 Secondary............................................................................................. 0.9 2.1

 Combined............................................................................................. 0.7 3.6

Nonsectarian ............................................................................................ 0.4 0.7

 Elementary ........................................................................................... 1.2 4.3

 Secondary............................................................................................. 0.6 0.8

 Combined............................................................................................. 0.4 0.6

* Standard error could not be derived because there are too few cases to report the data.

NOTE: Private schools were surveyed during the school year 1998-99. Public schools were surveyed in Fall 1998.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Advanced

Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools: 1998-99,” FRSS 68, 1999.