Problem Definition The expansion of education has always been closely linked to ideals of mass democracy (Giddens, 1989). Education should be able to help individuals overcome traits like gender, ethnic background and social class. Yet, research and figures indicate that education has difficulty to come up to these expectations. Education still duplicates and reproduces social inequality, despite of emancipatory measures of government. In this study we focus on inequality and social effects related to the use of information and communication technology (ICT). The last decade policy makers and educational scientists pay more attention to the social and cultural effects of the information revolution, since some studies point out that the spread of ICT is attended by growing inequality amongst the people (Sutton, 1991). Apparently, there are large segments of our society that are being passed by in the Information Age. Some even mention a 'digital divide' (OECD, 2001). In this study we try to focus on the social implications of ICT in education, related to innovative educational approaches and possible solutions for this matter. Research The research-project "Social implications of ICT-use and educational approaches in school" is a two-year study that involves following operational research questions: (1) What is the internationally available empirical base to ground assumptions about the impact of ICT on unequal social opportunities? (2) What kinds of policy measures have been taken to counter this negative impact? (3) What kinds of policy measures are applicable in the Flemish context? The research methodology is based on: (1) Analysis of the literature related to a list of 'reference' countries: UK, Finland, USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium (2) A comparative policy analysis (3) The Delphi-technique The results will be disseminated through a seminar, a handbook and reports. Theoretical background The theoretical base combines several perspectives on the nature of education and its implications for inequality: (1) The genetic deficit theory (Jensen, 1969): this theory states that IQ and genetic factors correlate highly with academic performance. They therefore also correlate closely with social, economic and ethnic differences, since these are associated with variations in levels of educational attainment. (2) The structural reproduction theory (Bowles & Gintis, 1969): this theory claims that education has not been a powerful influence toward economic equality. Modern education, it suggests, should be understood as a response to the economic needs of industrial capitalism and inequality, thus, is inherent to the system. (3) The cultural reproduction theory (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1970): cultural reproduction refers to the ways in which schools, in conjunction with other social institutions, help perpetuate social and economic inequalities across the generations. The concept directs our attention to the means by which schools influence the learning of values, attitudes and habits. Schools reinforce variations in cultural values and outlooks picked up early in life. When children leave school, these cultural variations have the effect of limiting the opportunities of some, while facilitating those of others. (4) Mattheus-effect: those who have access to information will prosper; those who have not will be even more disadvantaged.