RECOMMENDATIONS: CREATING A FUTURE WHERE ALL OF
AMERICA’S
YOUTH BENEFIT FROM ICT-ENABLED OPPORTUNITIES
The Digital Opportunity Measuring Stick presents a mixed picture. It
tells the story of tremendous progress in applying ICT tools in some
areas as well as untapped opportunities in others. The digital
opportunity gap facing many low-income, disabled, and ethnic minority
children is a stark reminder of the urgent work that must be done
immediately.
These findings lead us to recommend five strategies designed to
continue the positive progress and deploy ICT’s potential for good
for millions more children, which will help prepare the next generation
of young Americans for a self-sufficient and productive adulthood in the
increasingly technology-based society. We are careful not to overstate
the conclusiveness of our findings or recommendations. Rather than
providing definitive solutions, our recommendations set us on a course
to achieve positive results for children, measure progress over time,
and make ICT investments more effective.
 Recommendation 1
We should identify and capitalize on the ICT advances with proven value,
spreading them in local communities across the country to achieve shared
goals for children.
Recommendation 2
We should invest in powerful but not-yet-developed ways
in which ICT can help improve outcomes for children in important areas
of their lives.
Recommendation 3
We should create the benchmarks necessary to hold
ourselves accountable for providing digital opportunity to all children,
guiding the next 10 years of ICT’s evolution in ways that truly
help children and families.
Recommendation 4
We should take the necessary steps to ensure that every
child has access to ICT tools where it matters—at home, at school,
and in the community. Parents and young people must be well informed
about the opportunities and risks found through the Internet.
Recommendation 5
We should develop a long-range research agenda that can
inform our decisions in deploying technology effectively for children
and young adults over the next decade.
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