Contacts:

Steve Getzug	Shaena Engle
Pacific Bell	UCLA
(213) 489-8215	(310) 206-5951
getzugs@fleishman.com	engle@gseis.ucla.edu

LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2000 -  The shrink wrap is being stripped from the computers and more classrooms are being wired across the United States. Now comes the hardest part: Teaching the technology skills that will be relevant for K-12 students in their studies and their lives. 

A new research initiative that partners Pacific Bell with UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies hopes to deliver these critical lessons to kindergarten through 12th grade students by better educating their teachers and librarians on the best way to incorporate today's information-rich technologies into learning. 

The Pacific Bell/UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies will specifically assess information-gathering skills emphasized and taught in our schools and then develop a workable curriculum that promotes "information literate" students. The two-year initiative, which was announced at a ceremony today at Fremont High School in south Los Angeles, is being financed by a $1 million gift from Pacific Bell. 

"An information literate society means more than just having access to the new technologies that deliver an overwhelming volume of information and images. You have to be able to understand how to process it and learn from it," said Aimée Dorr, dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and a professor of education. 

Lora Watts, president of Pacific Bell in Los Angeles, said the delivery of technology should be embraced as a critical tool to improve learning rather than an end in and of itself. 

"While our primary business is delivering leading voice and data products, we recognize that delivering a robust telecommunications network is only meaningful if customers have the understanding to use it," Watts said. "This initiative will help, in some ways, to narrow a digital divide created through the delivery of technology without providing the widest support in learning how best to use it."

As part of the initiative, UCLA will host a Summit on Information Literacy this fall. The program will invite scholars, business and political leaders to share views and evaluate the importance of teaching information literacy in schools, libraries and other institutions. 

"The Summit will be an ideal environment in which to promote understanding of the need for information literacy and the nature of information literacy," Dorr said. "It will be energizing and enlightening. Results of our first major fact finding effort will be available and lead naturally into plans for next steps in the Pacific Bell/UCLA initiative." 
 
 

While the initiative will study the design of information systems and assess policies impacting learning and technology, the thrust of the research conducted by UCLA will focus on ways to best educate "end-users" or, the consumers of information: teachers, librarians, students. 

"We will evaluate what exists now in providing information literacy education and develop baseline information for additional study," Dorr said. "As part of this work and to fit into the increasing focus on standards-based education, we also plan to develop student standards for information literacy in both K-12 and higher education. 

"To extend our efforts, we will provide professional development opportunities for teachers and librarians so that they are able to effectively incorporate information literacy curricula into their teaching," Dorr added. 

UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies has a nationally-recognized faculty and is already engaged in community outreach that includes opportunities to explore information literacy issues and to demonstrate model information literacy programs. 
 
 

Fremont High School in south Los Angeles, where the initiative was unveiled today to reporters, is one school that could benefit from the research generated by the academic teams. The inner-city school hopes to harness technology and new thinking to raise poor academic performance among students and expand the skills of its teaching staff. 

"The information generated through this initiative will elevate understanding for our students, most of whom are getting their first exposure to technologies that have fast become a standard for others," said Principal Augustine Herrera. 

Initiative sponsors say Southern California is a natural choice for information literacies research to take place. The area is home to diverse populations representative of 21st Century cities and anchors robust entertainment and technology industries. 

Watts said Pacific Bell is proud to finance the initiative as an extension of its corporate commitment to education statewide. Pacific Bell, and its parent, SBC Communications, Inc., have awarded more than $35 million in educational grants since 1996, and on a local level have supported programs ranging from mentoring to distance learning. 

"Pacific Bell is committed to the communities where we do business, and the company has a rich tradition of supporting projects that enhance the quality of life for children and their families across California" Watts said. "This initiative has the potential to chart a path to better understanding and help everyone function successfully in an increasingly information-based economy."