Childrens Report Card

Technology will continue to play a larger, and more important role in the classroom in order to prepare students for the working world. There is little systematically collected data on how students and schools teach to or use technology in the learning process. One indicator - access to computers in elementary, middle and high school – suggests that overall access to computers had been increasing until the 2009-10 academic year, when access dropped back to levels from the early part of the decade.

Why is this important?

• The U.S. Department of Labor projections show that one in four jobs are expected to involve computer science by 2016.
• Finding a way to enable all school districts to be able to effectively integrate technology into the classroom will help all students be prepared for the increased demand for computer skills.

How are we doing?

• The number of students per computer in elementary and middle school increased from approximately 4 students using a single computer in 2008 to 6 students per computer in 2011.
• Prior to this turn, the number of students per computer had steadily decreased fro both elementary and middle school students suggesting increased availability and access.
• The number of students per computer in a high school setting has been increasing since 2005 suggesting less availability.
• There is limited availability of data to indicate the other ways in which technology is being used and integrated into the learning environment.

Data Source: California Department of Education