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February, 1999 -- Virginia is falling short of its goals for education technology, a new report by the Milken Exchange finds. While the state has committed significant resources to technology * translating into more computers in the classrooms * access to the equipment and improved academic performance have not yet been established throughout the school system.
The report, completed by the Exchange and its research partners NCREL and SRI International, came at the request of Virginia state policymakers, who halted all funding for learning technology in fiscal 1998 in order to assess the status of technology availability and use.
"This was a bold decision by the state to say "Wait! Before we go any further with this, let's take a look at whether or not the technology works in our schools," says Cheryl Lemke, Executive Director of the Exchange. "They've committed funds for equipment and networking; now it's time to ensure that these expensive tools are used effectively to improve student learning."
In 1996, Virginia developed its Six-Year Plan for Educational Technology (1996-2002), committing resources and over $200 million with the goal of improving achievement in all schools. 1998 brought them to a critical point in the process, where they stopped to reflect on whether they were on the right path. The study * which was conducted via surveys of schools, site visits and focus groups * is meant to guide the state in a more fruitful direction.
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| "This was a bold decision by the state to say "Wait! Before we go any further with this, let's take a look at whether or not the technology works in our schools," says Cheryl Lemke, Executive Director of the Exchange. "They've committed funds for equipment and networking; now it's time to ensure that these expensive tools are used effectively to improve student learning." | |
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Among the report's findings is that while Virginia's K-12 educators and students have learned basic skills with computers, "generally they are not yet using technology effectively to improve student learning." Many teachers in the focus groups indicated that they are not fully aware of the state's technology vision is or how to implement it into their curriculum. The report recommends that Virginia clearly translate its vision for technology into "exemplary, effective classroom practice" by providing models to teachers.
"It is clear that a great deal of effort is being devoted throughout Virginia to making teachers and students more sophisticated users of technology," according to Andrew Zucker, Ed.D. of SRI, a researcher for the study. "Technology is definitely important, but technology alone is not enough. The key question is how to help teachers and students to use technology effectively to support the core mission of the schools: the teaching and learning of academic subject matter."
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| "We are gratified to find that the availability of technology to teachers and students in Virginia compares favorably with other states," says Paul D. Stapleton, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Commonwealth of Virginia. "At the same time, this study points out that we still have a way to go to assure full integration of technology into instruction." | |
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"We also found disparities in student access to technology," says Bill Quinn, another researcher for the study. "Some suburban school districts reported much higher levels of access and use than rural and urban districts. If you look at the lower-access districts, they lack the level of technical support and teacher training of others, suggesting that it might be a funding issue."
The study emphasizes that while Virginia falls short of its overall goals, it has made progress that many states have yet to make. "We are gratified to find that the availability of technology to teachers and students in Virginia compares favorably with other states," says Paul D. Stapleton, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
"At the same time, this study points out that we still have a way to go to assure full integration of technology into instruction. The well thought out suggestions in this report provide a blueprint for the achievement of this goal. Finding out where we are and getting affirmation by a national leader in educational technology of many of our planned goals and directions has been extremely valuable."
Virginia legislators say they will use the findings and recommendations of the report as a guide when revising the state's Six-Year Plan for Educational Technology in the coming year.
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