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"Computers and Classrooms: The Status of Technology in U.S. Schools," ETS Policy Information Report.

Date of Study:

1999

Basis of Study:

How much technology is in our schools and is it allocated fairly?
How are computers used in schools? Is access equitable?
How can teachers and technology be better connected?
What do we know about the educational impact of technology?
What is the quality of current courseware? Is it related to current educational standards?
What are the costs of deploying technology in our schools?

Highlights:

School Access to Technology

There are major differences among schools in their access to different kinds of educational technology.
Students attending poor and high-minority schools have less access to most types of technology than students attending other schools.
Ninety-eight percent of all schools own computers. The current student-to-computer ratio of 10 to 1 represents an all-time low ratio. The ratio ranges from about 6 to 1 in Florida, Wyoming, Alaska, and North Dakota to 16 to 1 in Louisiana.

Use of Computers

Among eleventh graders, writing stories and papers was the most frequently rated computer use at home and school. Among fourth and eighth graders, playing games (presumably at home) was the prevalent computer use. At all three grade levels, using the computer to learn things and for writing were highly rated uses.
About half the students said they used a computer at home.
Nine percent of fourth graders, 10 percent of eighth graders, and 19 percent of twelfth graders said they used a computer for school work almost daily. Sixty percent of fourth graders, 51 percent of eighth graders, and 37 percent of twelfth graders said that they never used a computer for school work.

The Effectiveness of Educational Technology

Research generally agrees that drill-and-practice forms of computer-assisted instruction are effective in producing achievement gains in students.
More pedagogically complex uses of educational technology generally show more inconclusive results, yet many offer promising and inviting educational vignettes.
Many ongoing educational technology projects are in the process of documenting and recording measures of student motivation, academic outcomes, and other outcomes such as increased skills

Connecting Teachers and Technology

Research shows that helping teachers learn how to integrate technology into the curriculum is a critical factor for the successful implementation of technology applications in schools.
Most teachers have not had the education or training to use technology effectively in their teaching.
Only 15 percent of U.S. teachers reported having at least nine hours of training in education technology in 1994.
In 18 states, teacher education students do not need courses in educational technology to obtain a teaching license.
Only 16 percent of teachers currently use telecommunications for professional development.

Effective Courseware

Effective courseware needs to reflect the research on how students learn, be matched to national, state, or district educational standards, and be integrated into the teaching and learning activities of the classroom.
Research-based criteria for the development of effective curriculum should also be applied to the development and selection of educational courseware.
The California Instructional Technology Clearinghouse has rated only 6 to 8 percent of evaluated courseware as "exemplary," and from 33 to 47 percent as "desirable." Less than half of the courseware submitted to the Clearinghouse had sufficient quality to merit review.
Promising directions in courseware development might include a national clearinghouse; partnerships among developers, teacher groups, and private and public agencies; and a determination of courseware needs that would meet current and emerging curriculum directions.

The Costs of Educational Technology

Research shows that the cost of the technology currently in our schools is about $3 billion, or $70 per pupil. This cost represents just over 1 percent of total education spending.
Estimates indicate that it will cost about $15 billion to make all of our schools "technology rich." This is about $300 per student, 5 percent of total education spending, and about five times what we now spend on technology.
Different deployment scenarios are estimated to cost from $11 billion for a lab with 25 networked PCs in every school, to $47 billion for a networked PC for every five students.
The primary upfront factor affecting costs is the purchase and installation of computers and other hardware.

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