One possibility would be to run pilot programs, collect data, and see how schools are using the technology," says Guryan. "Are there schools that introduce the technology very effectively? What kind of schools are they? What are the skills that teachers need to be able to use the Internet?"
The authors highlight the importance of finding out what the technology actually achieves in the classroom, and whether teachers are even incorporating the Internet into the curriculum. Getting classrooms connected is only the first hurdle toward eliminating the digital divide.
Austan D. Goolsbee is professor of economics at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Jonathan Guryan is assistant professor of economics at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.