Schools frequently acquire digital devices without discrete learning goals

That's odd. From Study Gauges Value of Technology in Schools by Motoko Rich. Well the main finding is not all that surprising. Disappointing but not surprising.

In a review of student survey data conducted in conjunction with the federal exams known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nonprofit Center for American Progress found that middle school math students more commonly used computers for basic drills and practice than to develop sophisticated skills. The report also found that no state was collecting data to evaluate whether technology investments were actually improving student achievement.

“Schools frequently acquire digital devices without discrete learning goals and ultimately use these devices in ways that fail to adequately serve students, schools, or taxpayers,” wrote Ulrich Boser, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the author of the report.

Here's what I found contrary to my expectations.

Similarly, 41 percent of students eligible for free and reduced lunches said they used computers for math drills, compared with 29 percent of students whose families earn too much for them to qualify for the lunches.

I would have thought that the wealthy would have had greater access and therefore greater usage. Perhaps there is equal access in schools but the wealthy have access at home as well and/or can rely on parents for assistance whereas the poor might not have home access or may not be confident in parental assistance. Don't know but was surprising to me.

Seems another example of good intentions trumping empirical skepticism. Technology = Good. Schools = Good. Therefore Technology in Schools = Good. Regrettably; Empirical Proof = Optional.