Archived Information: Use of Educational Technology in Home and School

The purpose of this study is to review and synthesize research and identify data sources on the connection between the home and school regarding the use of educational technology for learning. Case studies will be conducted to identify emerging best practices for technology enhanced home-school interactions-including strategies for addressing the "digital divide" for differences in home and school access to educational technology. The report developed for this task will provide an overview of existing research, identify trends in levels of use and effectiveness, identify gaps where additional information is needed, and note models of emerging best practice. Information from this report will be used to inform design of the Integrated Studies of Educational Technology and other work.

Access to personal computers, the internet and other telecommunication and education technologies is growing rapidly in schools, in homes, and in the community (e.g. in libraries and community based organizations). Research finds that parent involvement is one of the most important factors in student performance. These technologies can help lower barriers to communication between teachers, schools and parents. These technologies may have important implications for interaction between parents, teachers and schools, and for learning activities at home and community sites. They can transform the frequency and nature of school and family interactions, provide increased ease of communication and timely focused information to increase the quality of parent involvement in the education of their children.

Use of technology and the internet at home can more directly support increased student achievement in several ways. Examples of programs that emphasize home access and educational technology-based activities include the Anytime, Anywhere Learning Initiative which provides laptop computers for students which can be taken home. The Lightspan materials include educational games for students to develop key skills. Particularly for older students, distance learning activities, such as the APEX courses for advanced placement credits for high school students, also enhance learning opportunities at home.

Changes in education technology based learning resources outside of school may affect instruction in school. For example, the types of assignment that teachers give students for homework and the types of research expected for school assignments may differ according to student access to computers and the internet outside of school. This "digital divide" in access to educational technology at school and at home may have important implications for how technology is best used to strengthen home and school interactions. This may include issues in the relatively effectiveness of classroom and lab access to educational technology in schools, as well as issues of access to educational technology in libraries and other community sites.

How much access is needed? To what extent are multimedia computers and internet available in student homes? How does this vary by family income, parent education, race and ethnicity, and urbanicity?
For what use? For households with computers and internet service, how do students and parents use this educational technology? How is this use related to classroom learning activities, and family interaction with the student's teachers and school?
With what effectiveness? How, if at all, are these levels of access and use related to increased parent involvement in their children's education? How, if at all, are they related to increased achievement and broader educational outcomes? How are they related to ease of use of educational technology in school?
What is promising practice? To what extent are there emergent models of promising practice?

In addressing these questions, the study addresses issues as to the extent of a rigorous empirical knowledge base in this area, what are the important gaps in information in each of these areas, and what policy relevant information is needed in the short and longer term to inform policy in these areas.

GENERAL EVALUATION DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES

Conducted by SRI International, the study of the Use of Educational Technology in Home and School: A Review of the Knowledge Base and Case Studies of Best Practice, the objectives of this study are to:

Identify the theoretical and empirical knowledge base in these areas (including its relation to work on parent involvement and student learning outcomes).
Identify where additional research or evaluation information is needed.
Identify examples of promising practices. Case studies will provide additional quantitative and qualitative information regarding emerging and current best practices.

To help guide evaluation design and policy, this task will provide an overview of what is known about use and impacts of educational technology on home and school interactions. Trends in the level of access and its distribution across parent education, racial/ethnic and income levels, as well as by school poverty concentration and their relation to parent involvement and student achievement, are of particular interest.

The study will produce a synthesis of the available statistical data and research on home and school. Information regarding the studies will be entered into the Research Articles Profiling System (RAPS) data base of empirical impact studies of educational technology to be used in the literature review and to provide a resource for future research and evaluation work.

Finally, the study will include case studies that draw on the literature review, nonprofit organizations active in supporting parent involvement education and other sources, case studies of nine sites will be conducted, including site visits to observe school operation and to interview teachers and school staff, students and parents. Data on technology use and impact will be collected and analyzed where available. A common protocol will be used to gather information on a core of common study elements across sites, as well as collecting site specific information. Case studies will provide additional information on these uses of educational technology. This information will be used to provide information to TLCF recipients, and to inform program evaluation, design and management

TIMELINE

The evaluation is being conducted from September 2000 through September 2002.

			U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PLANNING AND EVALUATION SERVICE Use of Educational Technology in Home and School: A Review of the Knowledge Base and Case Studies of Best Practice (Dec. 4, 2000) This document also available as MS Word (27K) Acrobat (17K)

		PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to review and synthesize research and identify data sources on the connection between the home and school regarding the use of educational technology for learning. Case studies will be conducted to identify emerging best practices for technology enhanced home-school interactions-including strategies for addressing the "digital divide" for differences in home and school access to educational technology. The report developed for this task will provide an overview of existing research, identify trends in levels of use and effectiveness, identify gaps where additional information is needed, and note models of emerging best practice. Information from this report will be used to inform design of the Integrated Studies of Educational Technology and other work. Access to personal computers, the internet and other telecommunication and education technologies is growing rapidly in schools, in homes, and in the community (e.g. in libraries and community based organizations). Research finds that parent involvement is one of the most important factors in student performance. These technologies can help lower barriers to communication between teachers, schools and parents. These technologies may have important implications for interaction between parents, teachers and schools, and for learning activities at home and community sites. They can transform the frequency and nature of school and family interactions, provide increased ease of communication and timely focused information to increase the quality of parent involvement in the education of their children. Use of technology and the internet at home can more directly support increased student achievement in several ways. Examples of programs that emphasize home access and educational technology-based activities include the Anytime, Anywhere Learning Initiative which provides laptop computers for students which can be taken home. The Lightspan materials include educational games for students to develop key skills. Particularly for older students, distance learning activities, such as the APEX courses for advanced placement credits for high school students, also enhance learning opportunities at home. Changes in education technology based learning resources outside of school may affect instruction in school. For example, the types of assignment that teachers give students for homework and the types of research expected for school assignments may differ according to student access to computers and the internet outside of school. This "digital divide" in access to educational technology at school and at home may have important implications for how technology is best used to strengthen home and school interactions. This may include issues in the relatively effectiveness of classroom and lab access to educational technology in schools, as well as issues of access to educational technology in libraries and other community sites. RESEARCH QUESTIONS How much access is needed? To what extent are multimedia computers and internet available in student homes? How does this vary by family income, parent education, race and ethnicity, and urbanicity? For what use? For households with computers and internet service, how do students and parents use this educational technology? How is this use related to classroom learning activities, and family interaction with the student's teachers and school? With what effectiveness? How, if at all, are these levels of access and use related to increased parent involvement in their children's education? How, if at all, are they related to increased achievement and broader educational outcomes? How are they related to ease of use of educational technology in school? What is promising practice? To what extent are there emergent models of promising practice? In addressing these questions, the study addresses issues as to the extent of a rigorous empirical knowledge base in this area, what are the important gaps in information in each of these areas, and what policy relevant information is needed in the short and longer term to inform policy in these areas. GENERAL EVALUATION DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES Conducted by SRI International, the study of the Use of Educational Technology in Home and School: A Review of the Knowledge Base and Case Studies of Best Practice, the objectives of this study are to: Identify the theoretical and empirical knowledge base in these areas (including its relation to work on parent involvement and student learning outcomes). Identify where additional research or evaluation information is needed. Identify examples of promising practices. Case studies will provide additional quantitative and qualitative information regarding emerging and current best practices. To help guide evaluation design and policy, this task will provide an overview of what is known about use and impacts of educational technology on home and school interactions. Trends in the level of access and its distribution across parent education, racial/ethnic and income levels, as well as by school poverty concentration and their relation to parent involvement and student achievement, are of particular interest. The study will produce a synthesis of the available statistical data and research on home and school. Information regarding the studies will be entered into the Research Articles Profiling System (RAPS) data base of empirical impact studies of educational technology to be used in the literature review and to provide a resource for future research and evaluation work. Finally, the study will include case studies that draw on the literature review, nonprofit organizations active in supporting parent involvement education and other sources, case studies of nine sites will be conducted, including site visits to observe school operation and to interview teachers and school staff, students and parents. Data on technology use and impact will be collected and analyzed where available. A common protocol will be used to gather information on a core of common study elements across sites, as well as collecting site specific information. Case studies will provide additional information on these uses of educational technology. This information will be used to provide information to TLCF recipients, and to inform program evaluation, design and management TIMELINE The evaluation is being conducted from September 2000 through September 2002.


Last Modified: 04/27/2006

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