The Internet gives schools the opportunity to help narrow the gap between the haves and have-nots. Over-all, 70 percent of parents with incomes of $75,000 or more report that one or more of their children use the Internet, compared to 35 percent of parents with incomes less than $40,000. Fifty-seven percent of white parents report that their children use the Internet, compared to 23 percent of African-American parents.

Already, schools are providing significant Internet access for students who otherwise would have none. In families with incomes under $40,000, 76 percent of nine-to 17-year-old children who use the Internet say they log on at school, compared to 68 percent of children from wealthy families and 54 percent of children from middle-income families.

In African-American families, 80 percent of nine- to 17-year-old children who use the Internet say they access it from school, compared to 16 percent who say they access it from home.

In addition, low-income families appear to have a strong belief in the Internet as a vehicle for their children's advancement. Internet use has a pronounced effect on the school attitudes of low-income children and children in single-parent households.

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