What impact is one-to-one computing having on schools nationwide? What are the factors that determine successful outcomes? And how affordable are such programs in the long run? These are the questions that Project RED, a research team headed by the One-to-One Institute and the authors of the America’s Digital Schools reports, set out to answer through an extensive survey of U.S. schools.
Project RED surveyed principals and technology coordinators at 997 schools that are representative of U.S. education in terms of enrollment, geography, poverty level, and ethnicity. The Project RED Team announced its findings at the ISTE 2010 conference in June.
Overall, the study found that schools with a 1:1 student-tocomputer ratio outperform non- 1:1 schools on academic as well as financial measures.
What follows is three key best practices found in the successful 1:1 programs of the schools surveyed:
• Daily implementation in all classes: The most significant improvements were found in settings where technology was included in intervention classes. In fact, the researchers found that technologyinfused interventions (ELL, Title I, special ed, and reading intervention) were the top model predictor of improved high-stakes test scores, dropout-rate reduction, and improved discipline. Daily use of technology in core classes, for students at all levels of ability, is the third most important factor.
• A school principal who leads change management: Principal leadership is the second most significant factor in reducing dropout rates and the single most important variable across several of the other education success measures.
• The use of games/simulations and social media: The Project RED researchers cite the use of Web 2.0 games and social media for collaboration, mentoring, and student engagement as yet another element of a successful program.
The Project RED team is making information on best practices available at no cost at its Web site (www. projectred.org)
—Read Judy Salpeter’s full article at http://ow.ly/2cqnH.
