School & District Management What the Research Says

Mixed Computer Literacy Among Teachers Worldwide

By Alyson Klein — November 12, 2019 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Worldwide, teachers may struggle to help students learn computer skills, finds a study of computer literacy rates across a dozen countries.

The United States performed about average on the test by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, but achievement levels varied more within than between nations. The study tested students’ ability to do things like edit digital photographs, create a database, search for relevant information on the internet, or judge whether to trust what they found.

Teachers weren’t all proficient at some computer-literacy skills. While 95 percent said they were comfortable using the internet to find resources, just 57 percent were confident in using digital tools to collaborate online.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the November 13, 2019 edition of Education Week as Mixed Computer Literacy Among Teachers Worldwide

Events

Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.
School & District Management Webinar Squeeze More Learning Time Out of the School Day
Learn how to increase learning time for your students by identifying and minimizing classroom disruptions.
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management From Our Research Center Schools Want to Make Better Strategic Decisions. What's Getting in the Way?
Uncertainty about funding can drive districts toward short-term thinking.
6 min read
Conceptual image of gaming cubes with arrows and question marks.
iStock
School & District Management Opinion The 5‑Minute Clarity Reset: How a Small Pause Can Change a Big Decision
Stuck in a spin? This practice can help free an education leader to act.
5 min read
Screenshot 2025 11 18 at 7.49.33 AM
Canva
School & District Management Opinion Have Politics Hijacked Education Policy?
School boards should be held more accountable to student learning, says this scholar.
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School & District Management From Our Research Center Student Fear and Absences Surge as Immigration Enforcement Expands
While schools report widespread effects from immigration enforcement, not all are taking action.
5 min read
Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025.
Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025. Teachers in Chicago and elsewhere have expressed heightened anxiety from immigrant students as immigration enforcement efforts expand.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP