When it comes to a key international test, there’s little evidence that technology use benefits student scores and some evidence that it could drag them down, according to a new report by the nonprofit Reboot Foundation.
The foundation, which is dedicated to improving students’ critical-thinking skills, analyzed the Program for International Student Assessment, which compares student outcomes in different nations, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is given only in the United States.
It found education technology associated with flat or lower scores on PISA and mixed results for NAEP. Students who used computers to do research for reading projects tended to score higher on NAEP reading. But using a computer for spelling or grammar practice did not help much.