NCES 2010-003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Educational Technology in Public School 

Districts: Fall 2008

First Look
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NCES 2010-003

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Educational Technology in Public School 

Districts: Fall 2008

First Look

DECEMBER 2009

Lucinda Gray

Laurie Lewis

Westat

Peter Tice

Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

John Q. Easton

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Stuart Kerachsky

Deputy Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and 

reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate 

to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United 

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NCES activities are designed to address high-priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, 

complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high-quality 

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data users, and the general public. Unless specifically noted, all information contained herein is in the public 

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If you have any comments or suggestions about this or any other NCES product or report, we would like to 

hear from you. Please direct your comments to

 National Center for Education Statistics

 Institute of Education Sciences

 U.S. Department of Education

 1990 K Street NW

 Washington, DC 20006-5651

December 2009

The NCES World Wide Web Home Page address is http://nces.ed.gov.

The NCES World Wide Web Electronic Catalog address is http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.

Suggested Citation

Gray, L., and Lewis, L. (2009). Educational Technology in Public School Districts: Fall 2008 (NCES 2010–003). 

National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. 

Washington, DC.

For ordering information on this report, write to

 U.S. Department of Education

 ED Pubs

 P.O. Box 22207

 Alexandria, VA 22304

or call toll free 1-877-4ED-Pubs or order online at http://www.edpubs.gov.

Content Contact

Peter Tice

(202) 502-7497

peter.tice@ed.gov
iii

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to recognize the respondents from public school districts who provided data 

on educational technology upon which the report is based. We also thank the sponsors from the Office of 

Educational Technology.
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v

Contents

Page

Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... iii

List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. vi

Appendix A Tables ..................................................................................................................... vii

Appendix B Tables...................................................................................................................... viii

First Look Summary ................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1

Selected Findings ............................................................................................................... 2

Tables ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Related Reports .......................................................................................................................... 21

Appendix A: Standard Error Tables ........................................................................................... A-1

Appendix B: Technical Notes .................................................................................................... B-1

Appendix C: Questionnaire ........................................................................................................ C-1
vi

List of Tables

Table Page

1. Percent of public school districts with local area (school-level) network(s), percent 

with a district network, and of those with a district network, percent connected to 

the Internet, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ........................................................... 5

2. Percent of public schools with a local area (school-level) network, percent 

connected to the district network, and of those with a district network, percent with 

each type of connection to the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ................. 6

3. Percent of public school districts with a district network, and of those districts, 

percent with each type of connection to the Internet service provider(s), 

by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ............................................................................... 7

4. Percent of public school districts with a backup connection to the Internet, percent 

with a formal computer replacement plan reflected in long-term budget planning, 

and percent with an asset recovery program for all or some computers, by district 

characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................................................................................ 8

5. Percent of public school districts reporting various treatments of older computers 

that can no longer serve their original purpose, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 .... 9

6. Percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or 

some elementary school or secondary school teachers, by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008 ......................................................................................................................... 10

7. Percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or 

some elementary school or secondary school students, by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008 ......................................................................................................................... 12

8. Percent of public school districts with written policies on acceptable student use for 

specific types of technology, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................. 14

9. Percent of public school districts keeping various types of student data in an 

electronic data system, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 .......................................... 15

10. Percentage distribution of public school districts reporting whether they employ an 

individual responsible for educational technology leadership full or part time, by 

district characteristics: Fall 2008 .................................................................................... 16

11. Percent of public school districts offering teacher professional development and 

percent requiring teachers to take professional development in various educational 

technology topics, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................................. 17

12. Percentage distribution of public school districts reporting agreement or 

disagreement with various statements on using educational technology in the 

instructional program in the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ..................... 19
vii

Appendix A Tables

Table Page

1a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with local area (schoollevel) network(s), percent with a district network, and of those with a district 

network, percent connected to the Internet, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 .......... A-3

2a. Standard errors for the percent of public schools with a local area (school-level) 

network, percent connected to the district network, and of those with a district 

network, percent with each type of connection to the district, by district 

characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................................................................................ A-4

3a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with a district network, and 

of those districts, percent with each type of connection to the Internet service 

provider(s), by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ............................................................ A-5

4a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with a backup connection to 

the Internet, percent with a formal computer replacement plan reflected in long-term 

budget planning, and percent with an asset recovery program for all or some 

computers, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ............................................................. A-6

5a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts reporting various treatments 

of older computers that can no longer serve their original purpose, by district 

characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................................................................................ A-7

6a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering various technology 

resources to all or some elementary school or secondary school teachers, by district 

characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................................................................................ A-8

7a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering various technology 

resources to all or some elementary school or secondary school students, by district 

characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................................................................................ A-10

8a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with written policies on 

acceptable student use for specific types of technology, by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008 ......................................................................................................................... A-12

9a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts keeping various types of 

student data in an electronic data system, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ............. A-13

10a. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of public school districts reporting 

whether they employ an individual responsible for educational technology 

leadership full or part time, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................... A-14

11a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering teacher 

professional development and percent requiring teachers to take professional 

development in various educational technology topics, by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008 ......................................................................................................................... A-15

12a. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of public school districts reporting 

agreement or disagreement with various statements on using educational technology 

in the instructional program in the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ........... A-17
viii

Appendix B Tables

Table Page

B-1. Number and percent of responding public school districts in the study sample, and

estimated number and percent of public school districts the sample represents, 

by district characteristics: Fall 2008 ................................................................................ B-4

B-2. Percent of cases with imputed data in the study sample, and percent of cases with 

imputed data the sample represents, by questionnaire item: Fall 2008............................ B-5
1

First Look Summary

Introduction

This report provides national data on the availability and use of educational technology in public school 

districts during fall 2008. The data are the results of a national district-level survey that is one of a set that 

includes district, school, and teacher surveys on educational technology. Every year between 1994 and 2005 

(with the exception of 2004), the Office of Educational Technology (OET) in the U.S. Department of 

Education asked the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to conduct a survey of public schools to 

track access to information technology in schools and classrooms. NCES used its Fast Response Survey 

System (FRSS) to conduct these surveys. For fall 2008, this OET-sponsored technology study was redesigned 

and expanded to incorporate surveys at the district, school, and teacher levels. These three surveys provide 

complementary information and together cover a broader range of topics than would be possible with one 

survey alone. Prior to 2008, the surveys focused on computer and Internet access and use, as well as 

procedures to prevent student access to inappropriate material on the Internet and teacher professional 

development on technology use.

1

The set of 2008 surveys collected data on availability and use for a range of 

educational technology resources, such as district and school networks, computers, devices that enhance the 

capabilities of computers for instruction, and computer software. They also collected information on leadership 

and staff support for educational technology within districts and schools.

During the design phase for the 2008 study, research was conducted to determine how specific topics and 

survey questions should be distributed across the three surveys. The surveys were developed to reflect how 

information on educational technology is kept within most public school systems. This report presents results 

from the district-level survey, including information on networks and Internet capacity, technology policies, 

district-provided resources, teacher professional development, and district-level leadership for technology. The 

district survey covers the following specific topics:

 Number of schools in the district with a local area network connecting computers within the school;

 District networks connecting schools to the district and the number of schools with each type of district 

network connection; 

 Types of connections from districts to Internet service providers and backup connections to the Internet;

 Formal computer replacement plans, asset recovery programs (i.e., third-party disposal services) for 

computers, and treatment of older computers that can no longer serve their original purposes;

 Types of technology resources that districts offer to elementary and secondary teachers and students;

 Written policies on acceptable student use of various technologies;

 Types of student data kept in an electronic data system;

 Employment of an individual responsible for educational technology leadership;

 Teacher professional development offered or required by districts in various educational technology 

topics; and

 Opinions of district respondents about statements related to the use of educational technology in the 

instructional program in the district.

 

1 A list of related reports from the 1994 through 2005 FRSS technology surveys of public schools may be found on page 21.
2

The questionnaire instructed districts to answer the survey using fall 2008 information and provided the 

following definitions to be used when answering the survey.

Technology: Information technology such as computers, devices that can be attached to computers 

(e.g., LCD projector, interactive whiteboard, digital camera), networks (e.g., Internet, local networks), 

and computer software. We specifically are not including non-computer technologies such as 

overhead projectors and VCRs.

Asset recovery program: Asset recovery programs provide third-party disposal services for owned or 

leased computers, which are then usually refurbished or recycled.

Blogs: Websites where an individual or group creates a running log of entries that can be read by 

other users, such as in a journal.

Wikis: Collaborative websites that allow users to freely create and edit web page content (e.g., 

Wikipedia).

Social networking websites: Online social networks for communities of people who share interests 

and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others (e.g., Facebook, 

MySpace).

NCES in the Institute of Education Sciences conducted this FRSS survey in fall 2008. FRSS is a survey 

system designed to collect small amounts of issue-oriented data from a nationally representative sample of

districts, schools, or teachers with minimal burden on respondents and within a relatively short period of time.

Questionnaires were mailed to approximately 1,600 public school districts in the 50 states and the District of 

Columbia. The unweighted survey response rate was 92 percent and the weighted response rate was 90

percent. The survey weights were adjusted for questionnaire nonresponse and the data were then weighted to 

yield national estimates that represent all public school districts in the United States.

Because the purpose of this report is to introduce new NCES data through the presentation of tables containing 

descriptive information, only selected findings are presented. These findings have been chosen to demonstrate 

the range of information available from the FRSS study rather than to discuss all of the observed differences; 

they are not meant to emphasize any particular issue. The findings are based on self-reported data from public 

school districts.

All specific statements of comparisons made in the bullets have been tested for statistical significance at the 

.05 level using Student’s t-statistics to ensure that the differences are larger than those that might be expected 

due to sampling variation. Adjustments for multiple comparisons were not included. Many of the variables 

examined are related to one another, and complex interactions and relationships have not been explored.

Tables of standard error estimates are provided in appendix A. Detailed information about the survey 

methodology is provided in appendix B, and the questionnaire can be found in appendix C.

Selected Findings

This section presents key findings on educational technology in public school districts in fall 2008.

 Districts reported information on local area networks connecting computers within a school, district 

networks connecting schools to the district, and connections to the Internet. Ninety-seven percent of 

districts had a local area network in all schools and 2 percent had it in some schools (table 1). Eighty-one 

percent of districts provided a district network to all schools and 3 percent provided it to some schools. Of 

the districts surveyed, 100 percent of those with a district network were connected to the Internet.2

 

2 Data on Internet connections were collected only from districts with district networks.
3

 Districts reported that 92 percent of public schools were connected to a district network (table 2). Among 

these schools, the types of connections from schools to districts included direct fiber (55 percent), T1 or 

DS1 lines (26 percent), and wireless connections (16 percent).3

 Among the 84 percent of districts with a district network, the types of connections from districts to 

Internet service provider(s) included T1 or DS1 lines (42 percent), direct fiber (37 percent), wireless 

connections (18 percent), broadband cable (13 percent), and T3 or DS3 lines (12 percent) (table 3). Direct 

fiber connections were reported by a larger percentage of city districts than by suburban, town, or rural 

districts (62 percent versus 49 percent, 46 percent, and 24 percent, respectively). Relatively more rural 

districts than city districts reported T1 or DS1 connections (51 percent versus 18 percent).

 Sixty-seven percent of districts had a formal computer replacement plan reflected in long-term budget 

planning (table 4). An asset recovery program for computers was used by 37 percent of districts for all 

computers and by 22 percent for some computers. Districts treated older computers that could no longer 

serve their original purpose by recycling or disposing (91 percent), re-purposing for less demanding tasks 

(85 percent), and upgrading memory or components to extend useful life (83 percent) (table 5).

 The percentage of districts that offered access to online district resources to all elementary or all secondary 

teachers was 92 percent (table 6). The percentage that offered access to electronic administrative tools to 

all teachers was 87 percent for elementary and 95 percent for secondary. The percentage that offered 

server space for posting web pages or class materials to all teachers was 82 percent for elementary and 83 

percent for secondary.

 The percentage of districts that offered online access to the library catalogue to all students was 72 percent 

for elementary and 82 percent for secondary (table 7). The percentage that offered electronic storage space 

on a server to all students was 62 percent for elementary and 83 percent for secondary.

 Districts had written policies on acceptable student use of email (84 percent), social networking websites 

(76 percent), wikis and/or blogs (52 percent), and other Internet use (92 percent) (table 8).

 Of the districts surveyed, 100 percent kept student data in an electronic data system (table 9). The 

percentage of districts that used an electronic system to keep each type of student data asked about in the 

survey ranged from 80 percent for transportation data to 100 percent for attendance data. Eighty-nine 

percent of districts reported keeping state standardized assessment scores, and 85 percent reported keeping 

district-wide assessment results in their electronic data systems.

 Districts reported employing an individual responsible for educational technology leadership who was 

devoted to this role full time (51 percent) or part time (32 percent) (table 10). Seventeen percent of 

districts reported no one in this role; more small districts than large districts reported no one with this 

function (21 percent of districts with an enrollment size less than 2,500 compared to 5 percent of districts 

with an enrollment size of 10,000 or more).

 Districts reported offering teacher professional development in topics such as integrating technology into 

instruction (95 percent), using Internet resources and communication tools for instruction (91 percent), and 

Internet safety (89 percent) (table 11). Fifty-five percent of districts required teachers to take professional 

development in Internet safety.

 Eighty-three percent of district respondents agreed with the statement ―teachers are interested in using 

technology in classroom instruction,‖ while 58 percent agreed that ―teachers are sufficiently trained to 

integrate technology into classroom instruction‖ (table 12). Forty-two percent of respondents agreed that 

―funding for educational technology is adequate,‖ and 83 percent agreed that ―funding for educational 

technology is being spent in the most appropriate ways.‖

 

3

For definitions of network connections, see the technical notes, page B-11.
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5

Table 1. Percent of public school districts with local area (school-level) network(s), percent with a 

district network, and of those with a district network, percent connected to the Internet, 

by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Local area network in:1 District network in:

1 

Connected to 

the Internet2 

All 

schools

Some 

schools

All 

schools

Some 

schools

All public school districts .................................... 97 2 81 3 100

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 98 2 75 3 100

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 97 3 94 3 100

10,000 or more ........................................................... 97 2 96 4 100

Community type

City ............................................................................ 97 3 89 3 100

Suburban .................................................................... 98 1 92 1 100

Town........................................................................... 97 3 88 5 100

Rural .......................................................................... 97 3 73 3 100

Region

Northeast .................................................................... 99 1! 81 2 100

Southeast .................................................................... 98 2 86 2 100

Central ....................................................................... 97 2 78 4 100

West ........................................................................... 96 4 83 3 100

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 99 1 85 1 100

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 98 2 78 5 100

20 percent or more ..................................................... 95 5 80 3 100

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

1 The base for these percentages is the total population of public school districts. 

2

The base for this column is the 84 percent of public school districts with a district network.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
6

Table 2. Percent of public schools with a local area (school-level) network, percent connected to the 

district network, and of those with a district network, percent with each type of connection 

to the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Schools 

with a 

local area 

network1 

Schools 

connected to the 

district 

network1 

Type of connection from school to district2 

Dial-up 

or ISDN3 DSL4

Broadband 

cable

T1 or 

DS1

T3 or 

DS3

Direct 

fiber Wireless Other

All public schools ................................ 99 ................ 92 # 2 5 26 4 55 16 8

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 ................................ 98 .......................... 80 1! 5 7 35 4 48 21 2

2,500 to 9,999 ................................ 99............................ 96 # 1 5 22 4 60 16 7

10,000 or more ................................ 99 ........................... 99 # 1 5 23 4 57 13 12

Community type

City ................................................................ 99 98............ # 1 4 25 6 57 11 9

Suburban ................................................................ 99 98 .... # 1 7 25 4 58 13 11

Town ................................................................ 99 92.......... # 2 3 20 5 67 18 4

Rural ................................................................ 98 81.......... 1! 5 7 33 3 44 24 5

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 100 ....

5

88 # 2 9 23 6 57 15 6

Southeast ................................................................ 99 94 .... # # 7 19 3 57 14 14

Central ................................................................ 98 90 ....... 1! 2 5 26 4 59 19 5

West ................................................................ 98 95........... # 3 2 33 4 51 16 8

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................ 99 .................. 91 # 1 7 26 3 60 16 6

10 to 19 percent ................................ 99 ......................... 93 # 2 6 24 5 55 18 9

20 percent or more ................................ 98 ..................... 92 # 2 4 30 4 52 15 9

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

1 Percents are based on the total population of public schools.

2 Percents are based on the 92 percent of public schools connected to the district network. A school may have more than one type of 

connection to the district.

3

Integrated Services Digital Network.

4 Digital Subscriber Line.

5 Rounds to 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
7

Table 3. Percent of public school districts with a district network, and of those districts, percent with 

each type of connection to the Internet service provider(s), by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008

District characteristic

With 

district 

network1 

Type of connection from district to Internet service provider(s)2 

Dial-up 

or ISDN3 DSL4

Broadband 

cable

T1 or 

DS1

T3 or 

DS3

Direct 

fiber Wireless Other

All public school districts ................................ 84 .... 2 6 13 42 12 37 18 6

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 78 2 7 15 51 8 27 20 3

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 97 1 3 11 29 18 54 13 10

10,000 or more ........................................................... 10051 3 6 19 26 60 14 13

Community type

City ................................................................ 93............ 1! 4 10 18 21 62 14 11

Suburban ................................................................ 94 .... 2! 2 19 33 14 49 9 11

Town ................................................................ 93 .......... 2 6 9 42 16 46 17 6

Rural ................................................................ 76 .......... 2! 8 12 51 9 24 23 3

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 83 .... 1! 3 22 34 12 42 16 7

Southeast ................................................................ 88 .... 2! 3 5 30 16 44 14 11

Central ................................................................ 82 ........ 2 6 15 43 12 36 22 5

West ................................................................ 87 ........... 2! 9 6 54 11 31 16 4

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................................... 86 2 4 18 39 10 44 17 6

10 to 19 percent .......................................................... 83 1 8 11 39 13 38 19 6

20 percent or more ..................................................... 83 2 5 10 52 13 28 18 6

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

1 Percents are based on the total population of public school districts.

2 Percents are based on the 84 percent of public school districts with a district network. A district may have more than one type of connection 

to the Internet service provider(s).

3

Integrated Services Digital Network.

4 Digital Subscriber Line.

5 Rounds to 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
8

Table 4. Percent of public school districts with a backup connection to the Internet, percent with a 

formal computer replacement plan reflected in long-term budget planning, and percent 

with an asset recovery program for all or some computers, by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008

District characteristic

Backup connection

to the Internet 

Formal computer 

replacement plan

Asset recovery program for:1 

All computers Some computers

All public school districts ..................................................................... 20 67 37 22

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 ........................................................................................... 16 68 33 20

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................................................. 27 67 44 27

10,000 or more ............................................................................................ 36 61 46 26

Community type

City ............................................................................................................. 28 63 42 23

Suburban ..................................................................................................... 31 71 47 27

Town ........................................................................................................... 25 63 53 16

Rural ........................................................................................................... 12 67 26 22

Region

Northeast ..................................................................................................... 26 77 53 24

Southeast ..................................................................................................... 21 58 30 22

Central ........................................................................................................ 19 63 35 21

West ............................................................................................................ 15 67 29 23

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................................................................... 26 70 49 25

10 to 19 percent .......................................................................................... 18 67 32 22

20 percent or more ...................................................................................... 16 63 30 19

1 For this survey, asset recovery programs were defined as programs that provide third-party disposal services for owned or leased computers, 

which are then usually refurbished or recycled.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
9

Table 5. Percent of public school districts reporting various treatments of older computers that can 

no longer serve their original purpose, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Continue to 

use until 

nonfunctional

Upgrade 

memory or 

components 

to extend 

useful life

Re-purpose 

for less 

demanding 

tasks

Donate to 

other school 

districts, 

nonprofits, 

families, etc.

Sell/ 

auction

Recycle/ 

dispose Other

All public school districts ................................ 76.... 83 85 46 36 91 3

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 76 83 84 51 35 92 3

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 77 81 89 36 37 92 3

10,000 or more ........................................................... 73 81 86 26 51 87 3

Community type

City ............................................................................ 78 86 86 40 39 88 3

Suburban ................................................................ 75.... 78 88 38 26 94 3

Town .......................................................................... 69 80 82 50 38 93 2!

Rural .......................................................................... 79 85 85 48 39 90 3

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 76.... 82 88 44 19 95 3

Southeast ................................................................ 79.... 81 84 34 35 88 2!

Central ................................................................76....... 82 85 51 42 92 2

West ........................................................................... 76 84 85 45 44 88 3

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 75 82 86 49 26 95 2

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 77 83 87 47 38 95 1

20 percent or more ..................................................... 78 83 82 41 45 83 5

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: A district may report more than one treatment of older computers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
10

Table 6. Percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary school or secondary school 

teachers, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary teachers

Server space for posting their own 

web pages or class materials

Access to online 

district resources

Remote access to school 

or district software

Access to course management 

and delivery software

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts ................................ 82 5 .... 83 5 92 3 92 3 44 11 46 11 57 12 57 13

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 81 3 83 3 92 3 91 3 43 11 45 10 58 10 58 11

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 83 8 85 7 92 3 93 2 46 11 47 12 52 17 55 18

10,000 or more .......................................................... 81 9 82 9 96 2 95 4 49 15 51 17 54 18 56 20

Community type

City ................................................................ 84 ............ 7 88 6 96 2 95 4 46 16 49 18 48 17 53 18

Suburban ................................................................ 81 9 ... 84 8 89 5 89 5 47 14 52 11 48 16 51 17

Town ................................................................ 91 ......... 3 88 4 93 3 93 3 50 12 51 11 56 13 56 15

Rural ................................................................ 78 .......... 3 81 4 93 3! 92 1 41 9 42 11 61 9 61 11

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 89 5 ... 90 6 93 4 93 5 48 13 49 13 49 18 51 18

Southeast ................................................................ 84 5 ... 84 5 92 2! 91 1! 46 10 47 8 59 10 59 12

Central ................................................................ 80 3....... 83 3 91 4! 92 2 42 9 48 11 65 9 65 12

West ................................................................ 77 .......... 5 77 6 93 2 91 2 44 12 41 12 50 11 52 13

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................ 90 .................. 5 92 5 91 4! 94 3! 46 12 50 12 56 12 59 13

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 81 5 84 5 93 3 92 2 45 10 48 11 54 14 56 15

20 percent or more ................................ 74..................... 4 74 4 92 2 90 3 41 11 40 11 60 9 58 11

See notes at end of table.
11

Table 6. Percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary school or secondary school 

teachers, by district characteristics: Fall 2008—Continued

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary teachers

Access to electronic 

administrative tools Online curricula

Opportunities for 

distance learning

Online student

assessment tools

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts ................................ 87 6 .... 95 2 66 14 66 16 64 13 65 14 73 12 72 14

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 89 4 95 2! 66 12 67 14 67 11 68 12 74 11 73 13

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 83 11 95 3 67 18 67 20 57 17 60 17 71 15 68 18

10,000 or more .......................................................... 82 11 93 5 64 20 65 23 54 23 56 24 72 16 72 18

Community type

City ................................................................ 84 ............ 12 94 5 62 22 61 24 53 28 57 27 76 15 74 16

Suburban ................................................................ 78 12 ... 94 5! 64 18 62 20 50 19 52 20 59 18 59 23

Town ................................................................ 92 ......... 5 97 1! 63 22 63 25 65 16 66 16 77 15 75 18

Rural ................................................................ 89 .......... 4 94 2! 69 8 70 11 71 8 71 10 78 8 75 10

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 80 10 ... 95 3! 61 21 57 23 54 21 53 25 60 19 56 27

Southeast ................................................................ 88 6 ... 94 1 72 8 74 9 70 12 73 10 78 5 76 8

Central ................................................................ 87 5....... 97 1! 65 12 70 14 69 9 70 10 76 12 77 12

West ................................................................ 91 .......... 5 92 3 70 13 65 17 63 14 65 13 79 9 77 11

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................ 86 .................. 8 98 2! 67 19 65 20 59 18 60 19 70 15 67 20

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 85 6 95 2 64 13 67 15 63 13 65 14 71 13 72 15

20 percent or more ................................ 89..................... 4 91 3 70 11 67 13 70 10 70 10 80 8 77 8

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: Percents are based on the percent of public school districts with teachers at that level (97 percent of districts have elementary teachers and 88 percent have secondary teachers).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
12

Table 7. Percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary school or secondary school

students, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary students

Email accounts used 

for schoolwork

Electronic storage space

on a server

Online access to the 

library catalogue Online access to databases

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts ................................ 11 21 .... 28 19 62 17 83 7 72 6 82 2 60 10 68 6

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 11 23 30 19 63 15 85 3 69 5 80 1! 59 9 66 4

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 9 15 25 20 59 22 78 14 79 7 87 3 64 12 72 8

10,000 or more .......................................................... 13 22 23 23 58 23 74 17 84 7 87 6 64 13 68 14

Community type

City ................................................................ 10 ............ 23 30 19 52 32 75 16 80 14 89 5 59 23 72 14

Suburban ................................................................ 11 15 ... 19 17 67 15 84 7 76 7 87 2 63 10 72 7

Town ................................................................ 13 23......... 40 15 63 18 84 7 82 4 88 2 62 10 71 7

Rural ................................................................ 10 .......... 23 27 22 60 16 83 6 66 5 77 1 59 9 64 4

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 7 25 ... 26 15 73 16 90 4 78 8 88 3 68 8 74 5

Southeast ................................................................ 17 20 ... 34 22 43 20 64 18 74 4 82 3 60 9 65 10

Central ................................................................ 13 19....... 29 22 67 14 91 2 71 4 82 ‡ 58 9 69 3

West ................................................................ 9 .......... 22 26 18 53 22 75 10 69 6 77 2 57 14 61 8

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................ 8 .................. 25 30 16 76 12 92 3 82 6 92 1! 71 8 79 4

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 10 20 24 20 60 19 85 7 69 5 82 2 58 12 67 7

20 percent or more ................................ 15..................... 20 32 22 50 21 72 10 66 6 72 2 53 10 57 6

See notes at end of table.
13

Table 7. Percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary school or secondary school 

students, by district characteristics: Fall 2008—Continued

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary students

Online curricula

Opportunities for distance learning

over the Internet or through

videoconferencing

Remote access to most 

software used in their classes

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts .............................................................. 47 19 53 25 30 22 46 31 9 10 12 13

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .................................................................................... 46 17 53 23 32 21 50 28 8 10 11 12

2,500 to 9,999 ...................................................................................... 50 23 54 28 26 22 38 32 11 11 14 14

10,000 or more .................................................................................... 49 26 51 34 23 32 33 47 9 13 9 21

Community type

City ...................................................................................................... 47 28 46 36 24 36 32 48 13 21 15 27

Suburban ............................................................................................. 40 23 46 30 26 18 35 31 10 11 12 13

Town ................................................................................................... 44 26 51 31 31 23 45 32 11 6 13 9

Rural .................................................................................................... 52 14 57 20 32 21 52 28 7 11 11 13

Region

Northeast ............................................................................................. 41 22 42 36 26 33 35 42 9 13 11 9

Southeast ............................................................................................. 52 16 59 20 27 20 52 33 14 10 16 14

Central ................................................................................................. 45 20 56 21 33 19 51 24 8 9 11 14

West .................................................................................................... 55 17 54 23 29 16 46 30 8 10 11 14

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ............................................................................ 45 22 51 30 29 28 42 35 10 13 11 16

10 to 19 percent ................................................................................... 44 20 51 28 25 22 45 32 8 9 13 11

20 percent or more ............................................................................... 54 14 56 18 36 15 51 25 9 10 11 13

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

‡ Reporting standards not met.

NOTE: Percents are based on the percent of public school districts with students at that level (97 percent of districts have elementary students and 88 percent have secondary students).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
14

Table 8. Percent of public school districts with written policies on acceptable student use for specific 

types of technology, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic Cell phones

MP3 

players/ 

iPods

Wikis 

and/or 

blogs1 

Social 

networking 

websites2 Email

Other 

Internet use

All public school districts .................................... 88 72 52 76 84 92

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 89 77 53 79 84 91

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 86 61 47 68 84 92

10,000 or more ........................................................... 80 55 49 67 84 93

Community type

City ............................................................................ 84 63 46 59 86 95

Suburban .................................................................... 87 69 51 70 82 88

Town .......................................................................... 90 71 54 77 82 95

Rural .......................................................................... 88 74 52 79 86 92

Region

Northeast .................................................................... 87 76 55 76 81 88

Southeast .................................................................... 92 64 49 70 81 90

Central ....................................................................... 89 71 49 74 85 93

West ........................................................................... 85 72 53 79 87 93

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 86 71 54 75 82 89

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 87 69 49 75 85 94

20 percent or more ..................................................... 90 76 52 77 87 91

1 For this survey, wikis were defined as collaborative websites that allow users to freely create and edit web page content (e.g., Wikipedia)

and blogs were defined as websites where an individual or group creates a running log of entries that can be read by other users, such as in a 

journal.

2 For this survey, social networking websites were defined as online social networks for communities of people who share interests and 

activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others (e.g., Facebook, MySpace).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
15

Table 9. Percent of public school districts keeping various types of student data in an electronic data system, by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008

District characteristic

Keep 

student 

data in an 

electronic 

data 

system1 

Type of student data2 

Personal 

data (e.g., 

contact 

information)

Demographic 

data

Enrollment data

Attendance 

data

Records 

on 

disciplinary 

actions

Health 

record 

data

Recent 

report 

cards

Grade 

history

Individual 

Education 

Plans 

(IEPs)

Transportation 

data

State 

standardized 

assessment 

scores

Districtwide 

assessment 

results

All public school districts ................................ 100 ........... 99 99 99 100391 86 95 93 89 80 89 85

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 100 99 98 99 100388 82 93 91 87 76 86 83

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 100 10031003100 100 98 95 98 97 92 89 95 91

10,000 or more .......................................................... 100 100 100 100 100 98 95 99 99 94 92 98 95

Community type

City ................................................................ 100............ 100 100 100 100 99 97 97 98 95 93 97 94

Suburban ................................................................ 100 ... 10031003100 100388 87 92 87 95 89 87 83

Town ................................................................ 100 ......... 100 100 100 100 96 96 97 98 94 85 94 91

Rural ................................................................ 100 .......... 99 98 99 100 90 81 95 93 84 73 87 84

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 100 ... 1003100 100 100 89 87 95 90 97 94 88 84

Southeast ................................................................ 100 ... 100 100 100 100 100393 99 98 95 88 87 86

Central ................................................................ 100 ....... 100399 99 100391 81 94 92 86 75 90 86

West ................................................................ 100 .......... 98 97 99 100 89 88 95 95 83 70 90 86

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 100 100 99 100 100389 85 95 90 93 84 89 85

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 100 99 99 98 100 89 85 93 93 84 80 91 87

20 percent or more ................................................................ 100 99 ............. 99 100 100 96 88 97 96 91 75 87 83

1 Reported having an electronic data system for any type of student data listed in this table.

2 A district may keep more than one type of student data in an electronic data system.

3 Rounds to 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
16

Table 10. Percentage distribution of public school districts reporting whether they employ an 

individual responsible for educational technology leadership full or part time, by district 

characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Yes, full-time 

devoted to

this role

Yes, part-time 

devoted to 

this role No

All public school districts ......................................................................... 51 32 17

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 ............................................................................................... 42 37 21

2,500 to 9,999 ................................................................................................. 70 23 7

10,000 or more ................................................................................................ 83 12 5

Community type

City ................................................................................................................. 79 16 5

Suburban ......................................................................................................... 67 22 11

Town ............................................................................................................... 66 24 10

Rural ............................................................................................................... 36 41 23

Region

Northeast ......................................................................................................... 66 24 10

Southeast ......................................................................................................... 69 22 10

Central ............................................................................................................ 43 34 23

West ................................................................................................................ 43 40 16

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ....................................................................................... 60 26 13

10 to 19 percent .............................................................................................. 48 35 17

20 percent or more .......................................................................................... 47 33 20

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
17

Table 11. Percent of public school districts offering teacher professional development and percent requiring teachers to take 

professional development in various educational technology topics, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Using multimedia 

digital content for 

instruction

Using contentspecific software 

tools for instruction

Using Internet 

resources and 

communication 

tools for instruction

Integrating 

technology into 

instruction

Creating or using 

digital portfolios

Developing 

curriculum plans 

that include using 

technology to 

address content 

standards

Applying 

technology in 

assessing student 

achievement with 

respect to state 

curriculum 

standards

Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required

All public school districts ................................ 86 ........... 14 86 16 91 15 95 39 51 5 85 37 82 40

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 84 16 84 15 90 14 95 40 48 5 84 37 81 40

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 89 10 91 20 92 17 94 38 55 5 87 39 84 39

10,000 or more .......................................................... 95 9 94 18 97 14 98 30 58 4 90 23 90 40

Community type

City ................................................................ 95 ............14 95 20 97 13 96 32 60 4 89 28 91 35

Suburban ................................................................ 87 ...11 90 17 93 14 96 34 45 6 89 32 78 31

Town ................................................................ 81 .........11 85 16 85 12 92 37 53 5 79 32 81 40

Rural ................................................................ 86 ..........17 84 16 91 16 95 42 51 5 85 41 83 45

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 89 ...11 92 15 92 10 97 41 56 9 88 36 82 36

Southeast ................................................................ 90 ...18 91 28 92 20 98 53 61 10 90 49 88 50

Central ................................................................ 82 .......11 85 14 90 14 93 35 47 3 84 36 79 39

West ................................................................ 88 ..........20 81 16 91 17 94 35 47 4 81 33 85 42

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 85 9 88 16 92 15 98 40 54 6 86 37 82 38

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 85 14 83 14 91 15 92 32 46 5 82 30 79 34

20 percent or more ................................................................ 87 20 ............. 89 21 90 14 96 46 53 5 88 48 87 50

See notes at end of table.
18

Table 11. Percent of public school districts offering teacher professional development and percent requiring teachers to take 

professional development in various educational technology topics, by district characteristics: Fall 2008—Continued

District characteristic

Using technology to 

access or 

manipulate data to 

guide instruction

Using student 

assessment and 

evaluation 

strategies that 

involve technology

Teaching via 

distance learning

Using technology 

to support 

collaboration

Using technology to 

promote dialogue 

on student 

performance 

indicators and 

related data Internet safety

Intellectual 

property and 

copyright rules

Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required

All public school districts ................................ 83 ........... 32 74 27 47 4 80 16 72 20 89 55 77 45

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 81 29 71 24 48 4 78 16 70 18 90 57 77 44

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 88 38 82 35 44 4 82 15 76 24 87 49 76 45

10,000 or more .......................................................... 93 38 86 31 46 2 86 13 81 19 90 48 84 45

Community type

City ................................................................ 96 ............33 90 37 46 1 87 8 80 17 93 45 87 39

Suburban ................................................................ 82 ...33 72 27 45 4 83 14 78 20 89 46 76 36

Town ................................................................ 85 .........29 77 25 45 4 76 17 77 19 81 49 73 44

Rural ................................................................ 82 ..........32 73 26 48 4 79 17 67 20 92 61 78 49

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 86 ...33 75 24 47 2 81 22 79 24 91 53 76 37

Southeast ................................................................ 90 ...42 86 41 60 11 83 24 78 25 92 63 85 59

Central ................................................................ 77 .......30 71 26 49 2 81 10 65 16 86 51 74 41

West ................................................................ 88 ..........30 74 25 39 4 75 14 73 19 90 59 80 50

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 84 36 76 26 45 4 81 18 76 24 88 52 76 43

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 80 27 68 22 43 2 78 13 66 17 87 49 76 37

20 percent or more ................................................................ 87 35 ............. 82 34 54 5 81 16 76 18 93 68 80 58

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
19

Table 12. Percentage distribution of public school districts reporting agreement or disagreement with various statements on using 

educational technology in the instructional program in the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Technology is a priority for 

the district administration

Teachers are sufficiently trained 

to integrate technology 

into classroom instruction

Teachers are interested 

in using technology in 

classroom instruction

Technology infrastructure 

is adequate

Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree

All public school districts ................................ 7 ........... 5 88 24 18 58 7 10 83 16 7 78

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 6 5 89 21 18 61 7 11 82 16 8 77

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 8 6 86 29 17 53 7 8 85 16 4 80

10,000 or more .......................................................... 8 6 87 34 19 47 5 12 83 15 6 80

Community type

City ............................................................................ 8 8 84 31 17 52 2 9 89 8 7 85

Suburban ................................................................ 6 ... 4 91 27 23 50 6 10 84 15 3 82

Town ......................................................................... 7 3 90 31 19 50 7 13 80 15 7 79

Rural .......................................................................... 7 6 87 20 15 65 8 10 82 17 8 75

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 6 ... 3 91 29 15 56 6 11 82 12 3 85

Southeast ................................................................ 7 ... 4 89 19 12 69 8 5 87 19 5 77

Central ................................................................5....... 9 86 19 18 62 6 11 83 15 9 77

West .......................................................................... 9 3 87 28 22 50 9 11 80 19 8 73

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 5 3 92 24 17 60 3 16 81 12 5 83

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 7 8 86 23 20 56 8 9 82 15 6 78

20 percent or more ................................................................ 9 4............. 87 25 16 60 9 6 85 20 9 71

See notes at end of table.
20

Table 12. Percentage distribution of public school districts reporting agreement or disagreement with various statements on using 

educational technology in the instructional program in the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008—Continued

District characteristic

Technical support for educational 

technology is adequate

Funding for educational 

technology is adequate

Funding for educational technology 

is being spent in the most 

appropriate ways

Use of educational technology is 

adversely affected by competing 

priorities in the classroom

Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree

All public school districts ................................ 22 ........... 9 68 47 11 42 8 9 83 19 27 54

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 19 8 73 44 11 45 8 8 85 20 29 51

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 28 12 60 53 12 35 11 11 78 18 24 59

10,000 or more .......................................................... 34 12 53 67 10 23 10 15 75 12 22 65

Community type

City ............................................................................ 31 12 57 58 13 29 10 14 76 18 16 66

Suburban ................................................................ 24 ... 10 66 45 15 40 8 7 85 22 26 52

Town ................................................................22......... 9 69 46 17 37 7 10 83 19 25 56

Rural ................................................................21.......... 8 71 47 8 45 9 9 82 17 30 53

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 20 ... 8 72 31 18 52 7 5 88 26 24 50

Southeast ................................................................ 25 ... 10 65 59 9 32 9 11 80 15 27 57

Central ................................................................ 21....... 8 71 47 10 44 9 9 82 19 27 53

West ................................................................25.......... 12 64 58 8 34 8 11 81 13 30 57

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 20 8 72 41 12 47 7 6 87 24 21 55

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 22 11 67 47 11 42 9 10 81 18 31 52

20 percent or more ................................................................ 25 8............. 67 53 10 36 9 10 80 14 29 56

NOTE: The response options in the questionnaire were strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, neither agree nor disagree, somewhat agree, and strongly agree. Responses to the ―strongly‖ 

and ―somewhat‖ categories were combined in the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
21

Related Reports

Bare, J., and Meek, A. (1998). Internet Access in Public Schools (NCES 98–031). National Center for 

Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Cattagni, A., and Farris, E. (2001). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–2000 (NCES 

2001–071). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Heaviside, S., Farris, E., and Malitz, G. (1995). Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, K–12 

(NCES 95–731). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, 

DC.

Heaviside, S., Farris, E., and Malitz, G. (1996). Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Elementary and 

Secondary Schools, 1995 (NCES 96–854). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of 

Education. Washington, DC.

Heaviside, S., Riggins, T., and Farris, E. (1997). Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Elementary and 

Secondary Schools, Fall 1996 (NCES 97–944). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. 

Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Kleiner, A., and Farris, E. (2002). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–2001 (NCES 

2002–018). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department 

of Education. Washington, DC.

Kleiner, A., and Lewis, L. (2003). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–2002 (NCES 

2004–011). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department 

of Education. Washington, DC.

Lanahan, L. (2002). Beyond School-Level Internet Access: Support for Instructional Use of Technology (NCES 

2002–029). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department 

of Education. Washington, DC.

Parsad, B., and Jones, J. (2005). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–2003 (NCES 

2005–015). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department 

of Education. Washington, DC.

Rowand, C. (1999). Internet Access in Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–98 (NCES 1999–017). National 

Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Smerdon, B., Cronen, S., Lanahan, L., Anderson, J., Iannotti, N., and Angeles, J. (2000). Teachers’ Tools for 

the 21st Century: A Report on Teachers’ Use of Technology (NCES 2000–102). National Center for 

Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Wells, J., and Lewis, L. (2006). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–2005 (NCES 

2007-020). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department 

of Education. Washington, DC.

Williams, C. (2000). Internet Access in Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–99 (NCES 2000–086). National 

Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.
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A-1

Appendix A

Standard Error Tables
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A-3

Table 1a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with local area (school-level) 

network(s), percent with a district network, and of those with a district network, percent 

connected to the Internet, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Local area network in: District network in:

Connected to 

the Internet

All 

schools

Some 

schools

All 

schools

Some 

schools

All public school districts .................................... 0.5 0.5 1.9 0.6 †

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 0.7 0.6 2.9 0.8 †

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 0.8 0.8 1.0 0.7 †

10,000 or more ........................................................... 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.8 †

Community type

City ............................................................................ 1.2 1.1 5.8 0.9 †

Suburban .................................................................... 0.8 0.3 2.6 0.5 †

Town .......................................................................... 1.0 1.0 3.7 1.6 †

Rural .......................................................................... 0.8 0.8 3.2 1.0 †

Region

Northeast .................................................................... 0.6 † 5.1 0.7 †

Southeast .................................................................... 0.9 0.9 3.4 0.6 †

Central ....................................................................... 0.9 0.9 3.0 1.0 †

West ........................................................................... 1.3 1.3 4.7 1.4 †

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 0.4 0.3 4.4 0.4 †

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 0.6 0.6 3.3 1.3 †

20 percent or more ..................................................... 1.5 1.5 3.3 0.9 †

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
A-4

Table 2a. Standard errors for the percent of public schools with a local area (school-level) network, 

percent connected to the district network, and of those with a district network, percent 

with each type of connection to the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Schools 

with a 

local 

area 

network

Schools 

connected to the 

district 

network

Type of connection from school to district

Dial-up 

or ISDN DSL

Broadband 

cable

T1 or 

DS1

T3 or 

DS3

Direct 

fiber Wireless Other

All public schools ................................ 0.2................ 1.0 † 0.3 0.4 0.9 0.4 1.2 0.7 0.5

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 0.6 3.3 0.4 1.0 1.1 2.5 1.0 3.8 2.0 0.8

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 0.3 0.7 † 0.4 1.0 1.6 0.8 1.7 1.3 1.0

10,000 or more ........................................................... 0.3 0.3 † 0.3 0.5 1.0 0.6 1.3 1.2 0.8

Community type

City ................................................................ 0.5 ............ 0.9 † 0.3 0.6 1.5 0.9 2.1 1.5 1.1

Suburban ................................................................ 0.5 .... 0.7 † 0.3 0.9 1.3 0.6 2.0 1.0 1.1

Town ................................................................ 0.6 .......... 4.0 † 0.7 1.0 2.7 1.4 3.7 1.6 1.3

Rural ................................................................ 0.5 .......... 3.1 0.4 1.0 1.1 2.3 0.6 2.4 1.9 0.9

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 0.2 .... 4.9 † 0.8 1.9 2.4 1.0 3.7 1.6 1.2

Southeast ................................................................ 0.2 .... 1.3 † † 0.8 1.4 0.7 2.2 1.2 1.3

Central ................................................................ 0.7 ....... 1.2 0.4 0.6 1.0 2.3 1.0 2.2 1.6 0.7

West ................................................................ 0.5 ........... 1.3 † 0.7 0.4 1.6 0.6 2.0 1.4 0.9

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................0.3.................. 3.7 † 0.5 1.3 1.9 0.7 2.5 1.5 1.0

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 0.3 0.9 † 0.6 0.7 1.3 0.8 1.8 1.3 0.9

20 percent or more ..................................................... 0.6 1.2 † 0.5 0.7 1.8 0.6 2.1 1.5 0.9

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
A-5

Table 3a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with a district network, and of 

those districts, percent with each type of connection to the Internet service provider(s), 

by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

With 

district 

network

Type of connection from district to Internet service provider(s)

Dial-up 

or ISDN DSL

Broadband 

cable

T1 or 

DS1

T3 or 

DS3

Direct 

fiber Wireless Other

All public school districts ................................ 2.0 .... 0.4 0.8 1.3 2.2 0.9 1.8 2.0 0.8

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.8 0.6 1.3 2.1 3.4 1.3 2.4 3.0 1.0

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 0.6 0.5 0.8 1.4 2.2 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.5

10,000 or more ........................................................... 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.8 1.6 2.0 2.1 1.3 1.3

Community type

City ................................................................ 6.0............ 0.4 1.5 2.4 2.0 3.4 4.3 2.3 2.3

Suburban ................................................................ 2.6 .... 0.7 0.7 3.0 4.0 1.6 3.5 1.9 1.9

Town ................................................................ 3.7 .......... 0.8 1.7 2.2 4.7 2.9 5.7 2.9 1.7

Rural ................................................................ 3.3 .......... 0.8 1.7 2.6 4.6 1.6 2.5 3.9 0.9

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 5.0 .... 0.8 1.4 3.8 5.2 2.1 5.4 2.4 2.0

Southeast ................................................................ 3.4 .... 1.2 1.1 2.5 3.3 2.1 2.8 2.9 2.0

Central ................................................................ 2.9 ........ 0.8 1.3 3.0 4.5 1.8 3.0 4.3 1.1

West ................................................................ 4.6 ........... 1.0 2.5 1.7 3.9 1.7 3.2 3.1 0.9

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................................... 4.4 0.8 1.4 3.2 3.9 1.7 4.6 3.1 1.3

10 to 19 percent .......................................................... 3.2 0.6 1.6 2.1 3.4 1.7 2.7 4.3 1.4

20 percent or more ..................................................... 3.1 1.0 1.9 2.7 4.3 2.1 2.7 3.2 1.3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
A-6

Table 4a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with a backup connection to the 

Internet, percent with a formal computer replacement plan reflected in long-term budget 

planning, and percent with an asset recovery program for all or some computers, by 

district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Backup connection

to the Internet 

Formal computer 

replacement plan

Asset recovery program for:

All computers Some computers

All public school districts ..................................................................... 1.4 2.3 1.9 2.0

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 ........................................................................................... 1.9 3.2 2.7 2.4

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................................................. 1.9 2.1 2.1 1.9

10,000 or more ............................................................................................ 2.0 2.2 2.3 1.9

Community type

City ............................................................................................................. 2.7 5.3 5.6 3.4

Suburban ..................................................................................................... 3.4 2.8 3.7 3.1

Town ........................................................................................................... 3.6 4.7 4.6 2.2

Rural ........................................................................................................... 1.5 3.4 3.0 2.7

Region

Northeast ..................................................................................................... 3.2 5.1 4.9 4.4

Southeast ..................................................................................................... 2.6 3.8 3.2 3.1

Central ........................................................................................................ 2.8 4.1 2.9 2.9

West ............................................................................................................ 2.0 3.5 3.5 3.2

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................................................................... 2.7 4.1 4.3 3.6

10 to 19 percent .......................................................................................... 2.3 4.0 3.0 2.6

20 percent or more ...................................................................................... 2.0 3.1 3.4 2.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
A-7

Table 5a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts reporting various treatments of 

older computers that can no longer serve their original purpose, by district characteristics: 

Fall 2008

District characteristic

Continue to 

use until 

nonfunctional

Upgrade 

memory or 

components 

to extend 

useful life

Re-purpose 

for less 

demanding 

tasks

Donate to 

other school 

districts, 

nonprofits, 

families, etc.

Sell/ 

auction

Recycle/ 

dispose Other

All public school districts ................................ 20.... 1.4 2.0 2.4 2.0 1.1 0.6

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.8 1.9 2.8 3.4 2.8 1.6 0.9

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.9 1.7 1.4 2.1 2.0 1.0 1.0

10,000 or more ........................................................... 2.0 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.9 1.5 0.6

Community type

City ............................................................................ 3.0 2.5 2.7 5.7 3.4 2.2 0.9

Suburban ................................................................ 34.... 3.4 1.9 3.5 3.0 1.9 1.1

Town .......................................................................... 5.9 3.0 5.2 5.2 4.6 1.6 1.1

Rural .......................................................................... 2.3 1.9 3.1 3.8 3.2 1.9 1.1

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 49.... 3.7 4.0 5.5 2.8 2.1 1.2

Southeast ................................................................ 32.... 3.0 2.7 3.8 3.1 2.4 1.0

Central ................................................................2.8...... 2.4 3.9 4.0 3.5 1.8 1.0

West ........................................................................... 3.8 2.4 3.3 4.4 3.5 2.4 1.4

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 4.0 3.3 3.4 4.2 2.8 1.9 0.8

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 2.8 2.0 3.6 3.8 3.8 1.3 0.5

20 percent or more ..................................................... 3.3 2.5 2.7 3.6 3.1 2.8 1.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
A-8

Table 6a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary 

school or secondary school teachers, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary teachers

Server space for posting their own 

web pages or class materials

Access to online 

district resources

Remote access to school 

or district software

Access to course management 

and delivery software

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts ................................ 1.9 0.7 .... 1.6 0.7 1.2 0.9 0.8 0.6 2.0 1.3 1.7 1.3 2.4 1.2 2.2 1.0

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.5 0.8 2.3 0.8 1.6 1.2 1.3 0.8 2.7 1.9 2.5 1.8 3.2 1.6 3.2 1.5

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.7 1.1 1.5 1.0 1.4 0.8 1.3 0.8 2.2 1.3 2.3 1.5 2.6 1.7 2.5 1.7

10,000 or more .......................................................... 1.7 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.1 0.8 1.1 1.0 2.5 1.7 2.7 1.8 2.0 1.7 2.0 1.3

Community type

City ................................................................ 3.0 ............ 2.1 2.0 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.4 4.5 2.9 4.7 3.1 5.7 2.7 5.4 2.3

Suburban ................................................................ 2.8 1.9 ... 2.7 1.8 2.4 2.0 2.6 2.0 3.5 3.6 3.1 2.2 4.3 2.7 3.7 3.0

Town ................................................................ 2.1 1.1......... 2.6 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.7 1.2 4.3 2.7 4.1 2.1 4.6 2.6 4.6 2.9

Rural ................................................................ 3.0 0.7 .......... 2.4 0.9 1.9 1.3 1.5 0.7 3.1 1.7 2.8 1.9 3.5 1.7 3.2 1.5

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 2.6 1.9 ... 2.2 1.7 2.2 1.8 2.3 1.9 5.2 3.6 5.4 3.1 4.9 4.2 4.7 3.8

Southeast ................................................................ 2.1 1.1 ... 2.2 1.1 2.1 0.8 2.3 0.7 4.0 2.2 4.1 1.8 4.1 1.9 4.0 1.7

Central ................................................................ 4.1 0.9....... 2.6 0.8 2.6 2.0 1.7 0.9 3.0 1.9 2.6 1.7 3.5 1.7 3.2 1.7

West ................................................................ 3.1 1.2 .......... 3.5 1.3 1.4 0.7 1.9 0.7 4.0 2.7 3.5 2.6 4.0 1.8 3.5 2.2

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................ 1.9 .................. 1.4 1.4 1.2 2.9 2.6 1.8 1.4 4.1 2.8 4.4 2.2 4.7 1.9 4.2 1.9

10 to 19 percent ................................3.7........................ 1.0 2.3 1.0 1.5 0.9 1.4 0.7 3.4 1.8 2.8 1.8 4.1 2.4 3.3 1.8

20 percent or more ................................ 30..................... 0.8 3.1 1.1 1.4 0.7 1.8 0.9 3.7 2.8 3.3 2.8 3.3 1.6 4.1 2.0

See notes at end of table.
A-9

Table 6a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary 

school or secondary school teachers, by district characteristics: Fall 2008—Continued

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary teachers

Access to electronic 

administrative tools Online curricula

Opportunities for 

distance learning

Online student

assessment tools

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts ................................ 1.8 0.9 .... 1.0 0.6 2.2 1.4 2.0 1.7 1.9 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.4

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.6 1.2 1.5 1.0 2.9 1.9 2.8 2.2 2.6 2.1 2.5 2.2 2.2 1.7 2.4 2.0

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.3 1.5 0.8 0.6 2.0 1.8 2.1 1.9 2.1 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.6 2.3 1.8

10,000 or more .......................................................... 1.9 1.3 1.0 0.9 2.0 1.6 1.8 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.0 1.7 2.0 1.8

Community type

City ................................................................ 2.9 ............ 2.4 1.4 1.3 6.3 2.9 6.4 2.8 4.9 5.2 5.2 5.5 3.8 2.9 4.2 3.3

Suburban ................................................................ 3.1 2.3 ... 2.3 2.3 3.3 3.1 3.3 2.9 3.2 2.9 3.1 2.4 3.3 2.5 3.4 2.8

Town ................................................................ 1.8 1.5......... 1.2 0.5 4.1 5.2 4.3 5.4 4.8 5.1 5.1 5.3 4.7 4.9 4.9 5.1

Rural ................................................................ 3.1 1.4 .......... 1.7 0.9 3.5 1.4 3.0 1.7 3.3 1.4 2.8 1.7 2.5 1.4 2.6 1.8

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 3.4 2.7 ... 2.3 2.1 4.3 4.2 4.4 4.8 4.7 4.5 5.2 4.9 4.8 4.8 5.1 5.3

Southeast ................................................................ 2.2 1.2 ... 1.9 0.4 4.0 1.7 3.9 1.9 3.7 2.0 3.9 1.6 3.4 1.3 3.4 2.1

Central ................................................................ 4.0 1.9....... 1.4 1.0 4.1 2.0 2.8 1.8 3.4 2.0 2.9 1.7 2.5 1.7 2.4 1.9

West ................................................................ 2.3 1.0 .......... 2.4 1.1 3.5 2.1 3.6 2.5 3.7 2.1 3.3 2.2 2.9 1.8 3.2 1.9

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................ 2.6 .................. 2.5 1.6 1.6 4.1 3.6 3.6 4.0 3.8 3.6 4.2 3.8 3.7 3.9 4.1 4.1

10 to 19 percent ................................3.6........................ 1.2 1.3 0.9 3.6 1.9 2.7 2.0 3.3 2.0 2.6 1.8 2.9 1.8 2.5 2.1

20 percent or more ................................ 23..................... 0.9 2.3 1.1 3.6 2.0 3.4 2.3 2.9 1.8 3.0 1.8 2.9 2.0 3.2 1.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
A-10

Table 7a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary 

school or secondary school students, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary students

Email accounts used 

for schoolwork

Electronic storage space

on a server

Online access to the 

library catalogue Online access to databases

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts ................................ 1.2 2.4 .... 2.5 1.7 1.9 1.5 1.4 0.7 2.5 0.8 1.8 0.4 2.3 1.3 2.1 0.7

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 1.7 3.3 3.6 2.4 2.5 1.8 2.0 0.7 3.3 1.2 2.5 0.4 3.0 1.8 2.8 0.9

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.1 1.5 1.9 1.5 2.0 1.9 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.0 1.5 0.7 2.2 1.5 2.3 1.1

10,000 or more .......................................................... 1.5 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.1 1.6 1.8 1.2 1.8 1.1 1.4 1.0 1.9 1.6 2.0 1.6

Community type

City ................................................................ 1.8 ............ 6.4 5.9 3.6 5.3 6.0 3.8 2.9 5.5 5.9 2.3 1.5 5.6 6.4 4.0 2.8

Suburban ................................................................ 2.7 3.3 ... 2.3 2.2 3.5 2.8 3.0 1.1 4.1 1.9 2.8 1.0 4.7 2.7 3.3 1.1

Town ................................................................ 2.1 5.4......... 6.0 3.2 4.3 3.2 2.6 1.5 2.5 1.0 2.0 0.8 5.6 2.7 5.3 1.9

Rural ................................................................ 1.8 3.8 .......... 3.2 2.9 3.2 2.3 2.2 1.1 3.7 1.4 2.9 0.3 3.1 1.8 2.8 1.0

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 1.9 6.0 ... 6.0 3.2 4.1 3.4 3.0 1.1 4.4 2.1 2.7 1.1 5.4 2.0 4.9 1.2

Southeast ................................................................ 3.1 3.0 ... 3.3 2.8 3.1 2.6 3.4 2.8 3.5 0.9 3.3 1.0 3.9 1.8 3.7 2.2

Central ................................................................ 2.5 4.2....... 2.8 2.8 3.7 1.9 1.8 0.7 3.9 1.8 2.6 † 3.9 2.2 2.7 0.9

West ................................................................ 1.8 4.4 .......... 4.1 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 1.9 4.8 1.6 3.9 0.7 3.6 3.2 3.6 1.7

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................ 2.1 .................. 4.8 4.9 2.6 3.6 2.2 2.3 0.8 3.8 2.4 2.2 0.3 4.7 2.8 3.9 0.8

10 to 19 percent ................................1.8........................ 4.2 2.2 2.5 3.2 2.2 1.7 1.1 4.2 0.9 2.4 0.7 3.7 2.4 3.0 1.1

20 percent or more ................................ 26..................... 2.7 4.2 3.6 3.2 2.8 3.2 1.7 3.4 1.4 3.9 0.5 3.6 2.0 3.7 1.2

See notes at end of table.
A-11

Table 7a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering various technology resources to all or some elementary 

school or secondary school students, by district characteristics: Fall 2008—Continued

District characteristic

Offered to all or some elementary or secondary students

Online curricula

Opportunities for distance learning

over the Internet or through

videoconferencing

Remote access to most 

software used in their classes

Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary Elementary Secondary

All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some All Some

All public school districts .............................................................. 2.4 1.7 2.4 1.7 1.4 2.2 1.8 1.9 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.1

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .................................................................................... 3.1 2.5 3.1 2.4 2.0 3.0 2.5 2.6 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.5

2,500 to 9,999 ...................................................................................... 1.9 2.1 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.1 2.0 1.5 1.1 1.8 1.5

10,000 or more .................................................................................... 2.3 2.0 2.2 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 0.9 1.7 1.0 2.0

Community type

City ...................................................................................................... 5.8 3.4 5.8 4.0 4.2 5.2 4.9 5.4 3.2 5.7 3.4 5.4

Suburban ............................................................................................. 3.9 3.9 3.1 3.0 3.0 2.7 3.2 3.1 1.9 3.2 2.0 2.3

Town ................................................................................................... 4.4 4.9 4.4 4.9 4.2 5.5 4.5 4.9 2.5 1.4 2.8 2.0

Rural .................................................................................................... 3.7 2.2 3.5 2.5 2.7 3.3 3.1 3.1 1.4 1.7 1.6 1.8

Region

Northeast ............................................................................................. 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.0 3.0 5.4 4.3 5.6 1.7 4.1 1.9 1.8

Southeast ............................................................................................. 4.3 2.4 4.1 2.4 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.2 2.7 1.6 2.7 2.1

Central ................................................................................................. 3.6 2.7 3.2 2.4 3.3 4.0 3.3 2.5 1.9 1.7 2.0 1.9

West .................................................................................................... 4.2 2.1 4.0 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.1 2.0 2.1 2.4 2.7

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ............................................................................ 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.4 3.1 4.9 3.8 4.3 1.7 2.7 1.5 2.2

10 to 19 percent ................................................................................... 3.4 2.6 3.1 2.3 2.5 3.7 2.7 2.7 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.5

20 percent or more ............................................................................... 3.2 2.1 2.7 2.4 3.0 2.2 3.2 2.7 1.8 2.1 2.0 2.7

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
A-12

Table 8a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts with written policies on 

acceptable student use for specific types of technology, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic Cell phones

MP3 

players/ 

iPods

Wikis 

and/or blogs

Social 

networking 

websites Email

Other 

Internet use

All public school districts .................................... 1.7 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.1 1.3

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.3 2.9 2.5 2.8 2.9 1.7

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.5 2.5 2.6 2.2 1.8 1.4

10,000 or more ........................................................... 1.4 2.5 1.9 1.9 1.3 1.0

Community type

City ............................................................................ 2.8 3.8 4.7 5.3 2.0 1.5

Suburban .................................................................... 1.8 3.3 4.0 3.7 2.5 3.1

Town .......................................................................... 2.5 3.5 4.8 3.6 5.2 1.5

Rural .......................................................................... 2.9 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.4 1.8

Region

Northeast .................................................................... 2.4 3.9 5.3 3.9 4.4 3.4

Southeast .................................................................... 1.7 3.5 4.7 3.7 3.6 3.8

Central ....................................................................... 4.0 4.2 3.9 4.3 4.7 1.7

West ........................................................................... 2.6 3.5 3.1 2.5 2.4 1.9

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 2.2 3.1 3.8 3.3 3.4 2.8

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 3.4 4.0 3.8 3.4 4.3 1.1

20 percent or more ..................................................... 1.8 2.7 4.1 2.7 2.5 2.3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
A-13

Table 9a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts keeping various types of student data in an electronic data system, by 

district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Keep 

student 

data in an 

electronic 

data 

system

Type of student data

Personal 

data (e.g., 

contact 

information)

Demographic 

data

Enrollment data

Attendance 

data

Records 

on 

disciplinary 

actions

Health 

record 

data

Recent 

report 

cards

Grade 

history

Individual 

Education 

Plans 

(IEPs)

Transportation 

data

State 

standardized 

assessment 

scores

Districtwide 

assessment 

results

All public school districts ................................ † ........... 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.1 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.0 1.2 1.3

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... † 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.1 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.9 2.7 1.6 1.9

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ † 0.3 0.2 † † 0.7 1.0 0.6 0.9 1.1 1.6 1.0 1.1

10,000 or more .......................................................... † † † † † 0.5 0.9 0.3 0.4 1.2 1.5 0.6 0.8

Community type

City ................................................................†............ † † † † 0.3 1.1 1.3 1.0 1.6 1.5 1.3 1.5

Suburban ................................................................ † ... 0.3 0.3 † 0.3 4.0 2.9 3.5 3.9 1.1 2.3 3.3 4.0

Town ................................................................ † ......... † † † † 1.7 2.0 1.6 1.2 2.0 3.7 2.0 2.5

Rural ................................................................ † .......... 0.8 1.1 0.9 † 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.5 3.0 1.8 1.8

Region

Northeast ................................................................ † ... 0.1 † † † 3.9 3.4 3.2 3.8 0.9 2.0 3.0 3.5

Southeast ................................................................ † ... † † † † 0.3 1.8 0.7 0.8 1.7 2.6 3.3 2.6

Central ................................................................ † ....... 0.2 0.7 0.8 0.2 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.8 2.0 2.3

West ................................................................ † .......... 1.5 1.9 1.4 † 3.7 2.9 2.0 2.1 4.4 3.4 2.3 2.8

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. † † 0.8 † 0.2 3.6 3.0 2.4 3.4 1.4 2.9 2.3 2.8

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... † 1.0 1.0 1.2 † 4.0 3.6 3.7 3.7 4.1 3.7 1.6 1.9

20 percent or more ................................................................ † 0.4 ............. 1.3 † † 1.5 2.7 1.5 1.7 2.3 3.4 2.4 2.5

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
A-14

Table 10a. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of public school districts reporting 

whether they employ an individual responsible for educational technology leadership full 

or part time, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Yes, full-time 

devoted to 

this role

Yes, part-time 

devoted to 

this role No

All public school districts ......................................................................... 2.3 2.0 1.9

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 ............................................................................................... 3.3 2.9 2.7

2,500 to 9,999 ................................................................................................. 2.0 1.8 1.3

10,000 or more ................................................................................................ 1.6 1.7 0.9

Community type

City ................................................................................................................. 3.0 2.9 1.3

Suburban ......................................................................................................... 4.0 2.9 3.4

Town ............................................................................................................... 4.3 3.6 2.3

Rural ............................................................................................................... 3.2 3.4 3.1

Region

Northeast ......................................................................................................... 4.8 3.9 3.1

Southeast ......................................................................................................... 3.8 3.6 2.4

Central ............................................................................................................ 3.5 2.5 3.9

West ................................................................................................................ 3.6 4.4 2.9

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ....................................................................................... 4.5 2.8 3.3

10 to 19 percent .............................................................................................. 3.4 3.2 3.6

20 percent or more .......................................................................................... 3.1 3.6 2.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
A-15

Table 11a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering teacher professional development and percent requiring 

teachers to take professional development in various educational technology topics, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Using multimedia 

digital content for 

instruction

Using contentspecific software 

tools for instruction

Using Internet 

resources and 

communication 

tools for instruction

Integrating 

technology into 

instruction

Creating or using 

digital portfolios

Developing 

curriculum plans 

that include using 

technology to 

address content 

standards

Applying 

technology in 

assessing student 

achievement with 

respect to state 

curriculum 

standards

Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required

All public school districts ................................ 1.5 ........... 1.6 1.8 1.5 1.2 1.4 0.8 2.3 2.3 0.7 1.5 2.0 1.5 2.0

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.0 2.1 2.4 1.7 1.7 2.0 1.1 3.2 3.2 1.0 2.2 2.8 2.1 2.8

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.4 1.4 1.2 2.2 1.3 1.8 1.0 1.9 2.2 0.9 1.3 2.1 1.5 2.5

10,000 or more .......................................................... 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.5 0.7 1.3 0.7 1.9 2.1 0.7 1.4 1.7 1.2 2.4

Community type

City ................................................................ 1.2 ............5.8 1.4 3.5 0.8 2.5 1.1 5.1 4.6 0.9 1.9 4.9 1.5 4.6

Suburban ................................................................ 3.0 ...2.5 2.3 2.7 2.0 2.2 1.5 3.4 3.8 1.6 1.8 3.7 3.2 3.3

Town ................................................................ 4.8 .........2.2 4.8 2.6 5.0 2.3 2.0 4.2 4.8 1.5 4.8 3.4 3.2 4.3

Rural ................................................................ 2.0 ..........2.4 2.5 2.2 1.6 2.2 1.1 3.6 3.1 1.0 2.2 3.2 2.1 2.8

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 4.3 ...2.5 4.4 2.6 4.1 2.0 1.2 4.8 5.4 2.0 4.1 4.5 2.9 5.0

Southeast ................................................................ 2.7 ...3.0 2.3 3.9 2.1 3.1 0.8 3.4 4.3 2.1 2.4 3.6 2.1 3.3

Central ................................................................ 2.7 .......2.1 2.4 2.3 2.1 1.8 1.7 4.5 3.3 0.9 3.0 2.8 2.8 3.0

West ................................................................ 2.2 ..........4.5 3.8 2.6 1.6 3.7 1.5 4.1 3.5 1.2 3.0 4.0 2.7 4.1

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................3.7 ..................1.9 3.4 2.8 3.5 2.6 0.8 3.8 4.6 1.6 3.6 4.5 2.9 4.2

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 2.3 2.9 3.1 2.2 1.7 2.8 1.5 4.3 3.1 1.1 2.8 3.7 2.5 3.4

20 percent or more ................................................................ 1.9 3.5 ............. 2.1 2.7 2.0 2.2 1.2 3.6 3.2 1.2 2.7 4.1 2.7 3.7

See notes at end of table.
A-16

Table 11a. Standard errors for the percent of public school districts offering teacher professional development and percent requiring 

teachers to take professional development in various educational technology topics, by district characteristics: Fall 2008—

Continued

District characteristic

Using technology to 

access or 

manipulate data to 

guide instruction

Using student 

assessment and 

evaluation 

strategies that 

involve technology

Teaching via 

distance learning

Using technology 

to support 

collaboration

Using technology to 

promote dialogue 

on student 

performance 

indicators and 

related data Internet safety

Intellectual 

property and 

copyright rules

Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required Offered Required

All public school districts ................................ 1.9 ........... 2.2 2.0 1.6 2.2 0.6 1.5 1.7 2.2 1.9 1.4 2.1 1.9 1.9

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.0 3.1 0.8 2.2 2.2 3.1 2.6 1.8 2.8 2.4 2.6

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.5 2.8 1.8 2.9 2.2 0.8 1.9 1.6 1.7 2.1 1.5 2.1 1.8 2.2

10,000 or more .......................................................... 1.3 2.5 1.6 1.9 1.8 0.5 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.2 2.0 1.6 2.2

Community type

City ................................................................ 11 ............3.8 1.8 5.6 4.7 0.2 2.2 1.9 3.0 2.4 1.3 4.4 2.4 4.6

Suburban ................................................................ 3.1 ...3.3 3.0 3.1 4.4 1.4 2.5 2.4 2.9 2.9 1.6 3.5 2.8 3.7

Town ................................................................ 2.5 .........3.8 4.6 3.8 4.7 1.4 4.7 3.6 3.2 3.7 4.7 4.4 5.2 4.5

Rural ................................................................ 3.0 ..........3.3 3.3 1.9 3.7 1.0 2.4 2.6 3.5 3.1 1.5 2.9 2.8 2.9

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 2.9 ...4.9 4.2 3.4 5.9 1.2 4.2 4.6 2.9 4.9 4.3 4.9 4.7 5.0

Southeast ................................................................ 2.3 ...3.6 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.0 3.3 3.1 3.1 4.0 2.2 3.2 2.5 3.1

Central ................................................................ 4.0 .......3.0 3.7 2.4 4.1 1.0 2.7 1.5 3.8 2.2 2.1 4.2 3.8 3.3

West ................................................................ 2.5 ..........4.1 3.4 2.9 3.6 1.5 3.4 3.7 3.4 4.0 1.5 4.0 3.0 4.7

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ................................3.0 .................3.7 3.3 2.8 4.2 1.4 3.1 3.9 3.0 3.8 3.3 4.2 3.7 4.2

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 3.6 3.6 3.8 2.3 3.8 0.9 2.5 3.0 3.6 3.1 1.8 3.9 3.5 3.2

20 percent or more ................................................................ 2.5 3.2 ............. 3.1 3.5 3.9 1.3 3.0 2.2 3.1 2.9 1.6 3.2 3.1 2.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
A-17

Table 12a. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of public school districts reporting agreement or disagreement with various 

statements on using educational technology in the instructional program in the district, by district characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Technology is a priority for 

the district administration

Teachers are sufficiently trained 

to integrate technology 

into classroom instruction

Teachers are interested 

in using technology in 

classroom instruction

Technology infrastructure 

is adequate

Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree

All public school districts ................................ 0.8 ........... 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.6 2.1 0.9 1.4 1.8 1.4 1.1 1.7

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 1.1 2.2 2.2 1.9 2.2 2.8 1.3 2.0 2.4 1.9 1.6 2.3

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 1.3 1.1 1.5 1.8 1.8 2.4 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.7 0.8 1.8

10,000 or more .......................................................... 1.2 1.0 1.4 2.2 1.7 2.3 1.0 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.6

Community type

City ............................................................................ 2.1 2.1 2.8 3.5 2.6 4.6 0.7 1.6 1.7 1.4 1.9 2.4

Suburban ................................................................ 1.3 ... 0.8 1.5 2.7 3.9 3.3 1.3 2.3 2.5 2.4 0.9 2.5

Town ................................................................ 20......... 1.2 2.2 4.3 3.5 4.6 1.9 5.0 5.8 2.7 1.8 3.0

Rural ................................................................1.3......... 2.8 2.8 2.1 2.3 3.1 1.6 1.8 2.2 2.4 2.1 2.9

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 1.4 ... 1.3 1.7 4.3 3.6 4.2 1.3 4.4 4.7 2.2 1.0 2.3

Southeast ................................................................ 1.8 ... 1.2 2.3 3.7 2.1 3.6 2.1 1.3 2.5 3.4 1.4 3.5

Central ................................................................ 14....... 3.9 3.9 2.7 2.4 3.5 1.3 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.3 3.3

West ................................................................1.8......... 1.1 2.1 3.3 3.8 4.3 2.3 2.1 2.8 2.8 1.8 3.1

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 1.2 1.0 1.7 3.9 3.1 4.1 0.8 4.1 4.3 1.7 2.3 2.8

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 1.2 3.6 3.5 2.3 2.7 3.5 1.9 1.9 2.3 2.2 1.5 2.8

20 percent or more ................................................................ 1.7 1.3............. 2.4 3.0 2.7 3.4 2.1 1.5 2.5 2.9 2.5 3.5

See notes at end of table.
A-18

Table 12a. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of public school districts reporting agreement or disagreement with various 

statements on using educational technology in the instructional program in the district, by district characteristics: Fall 

2008—Continued

District characteristic

Technical support for educational 

technology is adequate

Funding for educational 

technology is adequate

Funding for educational technology 

is being spent in the most 

appropriate ways

Use of educational technology is 

adversely affected by competing 

priorities in the classroom

Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree Disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree Agree

All public school districts ................................ 1.6 ........... 0.9 2.0 2.2 1.2 2.3 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.8 2.0 2.1

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 .......................................................... 2.1 1.2 2.5 3.2 1.5 3.3 1.1 1.5 1.7 2.6 2.9 2.9

2,500 to 9,999 ............................................................ 2.0 1.4 2.4 1.9 1.5 2.0 1.3 1.6 2.0 1.4 1.8 1.8

10,000 or more .......................................................... 1.9 1.3 2.2 2.3 1.3 1.8 1.0 1.5 1.6 1.4 2.1 2.2

Community type

City ............................................................................ 2.9 2.6 3.4 4.4 3.0 4.9 1.9 2.5 3.1 5.5 2.6 4.5

Suburban ................................................................ 2.6 ... 1.6 3.1 3.5 2.8 4.0 1.6 1.4 2.4 3.3 3.5 3.7

Town ................................................................ 29......... 2.4 3.6 4.0 2.9 4.9 2.0 2.2 3.0 4.3 2.5 5.1

Rural ................................................................2.5......... 1.5 3.0 3.8 1.4 3.9 1.4 2.0 2.3 2.6 3.1 3.3

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 2.5 ... 2.1 3.1 3.2 3.1 4.3 1.3 1.3 2.1 4.7 3.9 4.9

Southeast ................................................................ 3.6 ... 1.8 3.7 3.6 2.1 3.7 1.9 2.3 3.1 2.7 3.2 4.2

Central ................................................................ 28....... 1.8 3.4 3.4 1.8 4.1 1.6 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.6 3.6

West ................................................................3.0......... 2.1 3.1 4.0 1.4 4.0 1.7 2.3 2.6 3.1 3.2 3.4

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent .................................................. 2.7 1.7 3.1 3.8 1.9 3.7 1.5 2.1 2.5 3.7 2.9 3.6

10 to 19 percent ......................................................... 2.4 1.9 3.4 3.7 1.7 4.0 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.5 3.6 3.9

20 percent or more ................................................................ 3.2 1.7............. 3.4 3.3 1.9 3.7 2.1 2.3 2.8 2.9 4.0 4.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational Technology in Public School Districts, Fall 2008,‖ 

FRSS 93, 2008.
B-1

Appendix B

Technical Notes
This page intentionally left blank.
B-3

Technical Notes

Fast Response Survey System

The Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) was established in 1975 by the National Center for Education 

Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education. FRSS is designed to collect issue-oriented data within a 

relatively short time frame. FRSS collects data from state education agencies, local education agencies, public 

and private elementary and secondary schools, public school teachers, and public libraries. To ensure minimal 

burden on respondents, the surveys are generally limited to three pages of questions, with a response burden of 

about 30 minutes per respondent. Sample sizes are relatively small (usually about 1,000 to 1,500 respondents 

per survey) so that data collection can be completed quickly. Data are weighted to produce national estimates 

of the sampled education sector. The sample size permits limited breakouts by classification variables.

However, as the number of categories within the classification variables increases, the sample size within 

categories decreases, which results in larger sampling errors for the breakouts by classification variables.

Sample Design 

The sample for the FRSS 2008 district survey on educational technology consisted of 1,589 public school 

districts in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This survey was one of three related FRSS surveys 

conducted under a nested design involving a sample of schools, districts that administered the sampled 

schools, and teachers within the sampled schools. The selection of districts included two stages.

For the first stage, a nationally representative sample of regular U.S. public schools was selected from the 

2005–06 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) Public School Universe file, which was the most current file 

available at the time of selection. The sampling frame included 85,719 regular schools. Excluded from the 

sampling frame were schools with a high grade of prekindergarten or kindergarten and ungraded schools, 

along with special education, vocational, and alternative/other schools; schools outside the 50 states and the 

District of Columbia; and schools with zero or missing enrollment. The public school sampling frame was 

stratified by level (elementary or secondary/combined), categories of enrollment size, and categories for 

percent of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch. Schools in the frame were then sorted by type of 

locale and region to induce additional implicit stratification.

For the second stage, the public school districts that contained at least one sampled school were identified 

using the 2005–06 CCD Local Education Agency file. The district sample is representative of all public school 

districts in the nation that administer at least one regular school as described above.

Data Collection and Response Rates

Questionnaires and cover letters for the study were mailed to the superintendent of each sampled school 

district in early August 2008. The letter introduced the study and requested that the questionnaire be completed 

by the person most knowledgeable about educational technology in the district. Respondents were offered the 

option of completing the survey via the Web. Telephone follow-up for survey nonresponse and data 

clarification was initiated in late August 2008 and completed in January 2009.

Of the 1,589 school districts in the sample, 60 were found to be ineligible for the survey because the district 

had closed or merged with another district. This left a total of 1,529 eligible school districts in the sample.

Completed questionnaires were received from 1,408 districts, or 92 percent of the eligible districts (table B-1).

Of the districts that completed the survey, 75 percent completed it by the Web, 21 percent completed it by 
B-4

mail, 4 percent completed it by fax, and less than 1 percent completed it by telephone. The weighted response 

rate was 90 percent. The weighted number of eligible districts in the survey represents the estimated universe 

of public school districts in the 50 states and the District of Columbia with one or more regular schools.4

Table B-1. Number and percent of responding public school districts in the study sample, and 

estimated number and percent of public school districts the sample represents, by district 

characteristics: Fall 2008

District characteristic

Respondent sample 

(unweighted

)

National estimate 

(weighted)

Number Percent Number Percent

All public school districts .................................................... 1,408 100 13,600 100

District enrollment size

Less than 2,500 ...................................................................... 457 32 9,600 70

2,500 to 9,999 ........................................................................ 512 36 3,200 23

10,000 or more ...................................................................... 439 31 900 6

Community type

City ..................................................................................... 277 20 800 6

Suburban ............................................................................... 457 32 3,100 23

Town .................................................................................... 225 16 2,500 18

Rural ...................................................................................... 449 32 7,200 53

Region

Northeast ............................................................................... 284 20 3,200 24

Southeast ............................................................................... 312 22 1,600 11

Central ................................................................................... 398 28 5,100 37

West ..................................................................................... 414 29 3,700 28

Poverty concentration

Less than 10 percent ............................................................. 413 29 4,100 30

10 to 19 percent ..................................................................... 574 41 5,600 41

20 percent or more ................................................................. 419 30 3,900 29

NOTE: There were a small number of cases for which poverty concentration was missing. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or 

missing data for poverty concentration. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.

 

4

For more details about the development of survey weights, see the section of this report on Sampling Errors.
B-5

Imputation for Item Nonresponse

Although item nonresponse for key items was very low, missing data were imputed for the items with a 

response rate of less than 100 percent (table B-2).5The missing items included both numerical data such as the 

number of schools with Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connections to the district, as well as categorical data 

such as whether the district had written policies on student use of cell phones. The missing data were imputed 

using a ―hot-deck‖ approach to obtain a ―donor‖ district from which the imputed values were derived. Under 

the hot-deck approach, a donor district that matched selected characteristics of the district with missing data 

(the recipient district) was identified. The matching characteristics included metropolitan status, geographic 

region, district enrollment size, district type code, and agency charter code (indicating the presence of charter 

schools in the district). In addition, relevant questionnaire items were used to form appropriate imputation 

groupings. Once a donor was found, it was used to obtain the imputed values for the district with missing data.

For categorical items, the imputed value was simply the corresponding value from the donor district. For 

numerical items, the imputed value was calculated by taking the donor’s response for that item (e.g., number of 

schools with DSL connections to the district network) and dividing that number by the total number of schools 

connected to the district network. This ratio was then multiplied by the total number of schools connected to 

the district network in the recipient district to provide an imputed value.

Table B-2. Percent of cases with imputed data in the study sample, and percent of cases with imputed 

data the sample represents, by questionnaire item: Fall 2008

Questionnaire item

Respondent 

sample

(unweighted)

National 

estimate

(weighted)

Question 5: District Network Connections1 

Q5apart1 Number of schools with dial-up or ISDN connections to the district ............................................ 0.21 0.19

Q5apart2 Does the district have a dial-up or ISDN connection to the Internet service provider? ................. 0.07 0.01

Q5bpart1 Number of schools with DSL connections to the district .............................................................. 0.21 0.19

Q5bpart2 Does the district have a DSL connection to the Internet service provider? ................................... 0.14 0.08

Q5cpart1 Number of schools with broadband cable connections to the district ............................................ 0.21 0.19

Q5cpart2 Does the district have a broadband cable connection to the Internet service provider? ................. 0.07 0.01

Q5dpart1 Number of schools with T1 or DS1 connections to the district ..................................................... 0.21 0.19

Q5dpart2 Does the district have a T1 or DS1 connection to the Internet service provider? .......................... 0.07 0.01

Q5epart1 Number of schools with T3 or DS3 connections to the district ..................................................... 0.21 0.19

Q5epart2 Does the district have a T3 or DS3 connection to the Internet service provider? .......................... 0.07 0.01

Q5fpart1 Number of schools with direct fiber connections to the district .................................................... 0.21 0.19

Q5gpart1 Number of schools with wireless connections to the district ......................................................... 0.21 0.19

Q5gpart2 Does the district have a wireless connection to the Internet service provider? .............................. 0.14 0.12

Q5hpart1 Number of schools with other connections to the district .............................................................. 0.21 0.19

Q5hpart2 Does the district have other connections to the Internet service provider? .................................... 0.07 0.01

Question 9: District’s Treatment of Older Computers

Q9d Treatment of older computers: donate to other school districts, nonprofits, families, etc. ............. 0.07 0.02

Q9e Treatment of older computers: sell/auction ................................................................................... 0.07 0.07

Question 10: Written Policies on Student Use of Technology

Q10a Written policies on student use specifically for: cell phones ......................................................... 0.07 0.11

Q10b Written policies on student use specifically for: MP3 players/iPods ............................................. 0.14 0.13

Q10e Written policies on student use specifically for: email .................................................................. 0.07 0.14

See notes at end of table.

 

5

Per NCES standards, all missing questionnaire data are imputed.
B-6

Table B-2. Percent of cases with imputed data in the study sample, and percent of cases with imputed 

data the sample represents, by questionnaire item: Fall 2008—Continued

Questionnaire item

Respondent 

sample

(unweighted)

National 

estimate

(weighted)

Question 11: Technology Resources Offered to Teachers

Q11apart1

Offers elementary teachers: server space for the purpose of posting web pages or class 

materials ......................................................................................................................................... 0.21 0.28

Q11bpart1 Offers elementary teachers: access to online district resources ........................................................ 0.07 0.24

Q11cpart1 Offers elementary teachers: remote access to school or district software ......................................... 0.21 0.28

Q11dpart1 Offers elementary teachers: access to course management and delivery software ........................... 0.14 0.32

Q11epart1 Offers elementary teachers: access to electronic administrative tools .............................................. 0.07 0.24

Q11fpart1 Offers elementary teachers: online curricula .................................................................................... 0.28 0.40

Q11gpart1 Offers elementary teachers: opportunities for distance learning ....................................................... 0.14 0.32

Q11hpart1 Offers elementary teachers: online student assessment tools ............................................................ 0.14 0.38

Q11apart2 Offers secondary teachers: server space for the purpose of posting web pages or class materials .... 0.21 0.06

Q11bpart2 Offers secondary teachers: access to online district resources .......................................................... 0.14 0.08

Q11cpart2 Offers secondary teachers: remote access to school or district software .......................................... 0.28 0.19

Q11dpart2 Offers secondary teachers: access to course management and delivery software ............................. 0.36 0.30

Q11epart2 Offers secondary teachers: access to electronic administrative tools ................................................ 0.14 0.09

Q11fpart2 Offers secondary teachers: online curricula ..................................................................................... 0.28 0.26

Q11gpart2 Offers secondary teachers: opportunities for distance learning ........................................................ 0.14 0.14

Q11hpart2 Offers secondary teachers: online student assessment tools ............................................................. 0.28 0.30

Question 12: Technology Resources Offered to Students

Q12apart1 Offers elementary students: email accounts used for schoolwork .................................................... 0.14 0.38

Q12bpart1 Offers elementary students: electronic storage space on a server ..................................................... 0.07 0.24

Q12cpart1 Offers elementary students: online access to the library catalogue ................................................... 0.07 0.24

Q12dpart1 Offers elementary students: online access to databases .................................................................... 0.21 0.36

Q12epart1 Offers elementary students: online curricula .................................................................................... 0.43 0.54

Q12fpart1

Offers elementary students: opportunities for distance learning over the Internet or through 

videoconferencing ........................................................................................................................... 0.36 0.36

Q12gpart1 Offers elementary students: remote access to most software that is used in their classes ................. 0.21 0.34

Q12apart2 Offers secondary students: email accounts used for schoolwork ...................................................... 0.14 0.12

Q12bpart2 Offers secondary students: electronic storage space on a server ....................................................... 0.07 0.05

Q12cpart2 Offers secondary students: online access to the library catalogue .................................................... 0.21 0.18

Q12dpart2 Offers secondary students: online access to databases ..................................................................... 0.28 0.29

Q12epart2 Offers secondary students: online curricula ..................................................................................... 0.21 0.35

Q12fpart2

Offers secondary students: opportunities for distance learning over the Internet or through 

videoconferencing ........................................................................................................................... 0.21 0.31

Question 13: Types of Student Data Kept in Electronic Data System

Q13a Student data kept in electronic data system: personal data ............................................................... 0.07 0.12

Q13b Student data kept in electronic data system: demographic data ........................................................ 0.07 0.12

Q13c Student data kept in electronic data system: enrollment data ........................................................... 0.07 0.12

Q13d Student data kept in electronic data system: attendance data ............................................................ 0.07 0.12

Q13e Student data kept in electronic data system: records on disciplinary actions .................................... 0.07 0.12

Q13f Student data kept in electronic data system: health record data ........................................................ 0.14 0.24

Q13g Student data kept in electronic data system: recent report cards ....................................................... 0.07 0.12

Q13h Student data kept in electronic data system: grade history ............................................................... 0.07 0.12

Q13i Student data kept in electronic data system: Individual Education Plans ......................................... 0.07 0.12

Q13j Student data kept in electronic data system: transportation data ....................................................... 0.07 0.12

Q13k Student data kept in electronic data system: state standardized assessment scores ........................... 0.07 0.12

Q13l Student data kept in electronic data system: district-wide assessment results .................................. 0.07 0.12

See notes at end of table.
B-7

Table B-2. Percent of cases with imputed data in the study sample, and percent of cases with imputed 

data the sample represents, by questionnaire item: Fall 2008—Continued

Questionnaire item

Respondent 

sample

(unweighted)

National 

estimate

(weighted)

Question 15: Topics in Which District Offers or Requires Professional Development

Q15apart1 Offers professional development in: using multimedia digital content for instruction ..................... 0.21 0.22

Q15bpart1 Offers professional development in: using content-specific software tools for instruction ............... 0.07 0.12

Q15cpart1

Offers professional development in: using Internet resources and communication tools for 

instruction ....................................................................................................................................... 0.07 0.12

Q15dpart1 Offers professional development in: integrating technology into instruction ................................... 0.07 0.12

Q15epart1 Offers professional development in: creating or using digital portfolios .......................................... 0.21 0.43

Q15fpart1

Offers professional development in: developing curriculum plans that include using technology 

to address content standards ............................................................................................................ 0.14 0.35

Q15gpart1

Offers professional development in: applying technology in assessing student achievement with 

respect to state curriculum standards .............................................................................................. 0.14 0.13

Q15hpart1

Offers professional development in: using technology to access or manipulate data to guide 

instruction ....................................................................................................................................... 0.07 0.12

Q15ipart1

Offers professional development in: using student assessment and evaluation strategies that 

involve technology .......................................................................................................................... 0.21 0.36

Q15jpart1 Offers professional development in: teaching via distance learning ................................................. 0.14 0.13

Q15kpart1 Offers professional development in: using technology to support collaboration .............................. 0.07 0.12

Q15lpart1 Offers professional development in: technology for dialogue on student performance data ............ 0.07 0.12

Q15mpart1 Offers professional development in: Internet safety ......................................................................... 0.14 0.13

Q15npart1 Offers professional development in: intellectual property and copyright rules ................................. 0.07 0.12

Q15apart2 Requires professional development in: using multimedia digital content for instruction ................. 0.57 0.43

Q15bpart2 Requires professional development in: using content-specific software tools for instruction ........... 0.57 0.65

Q15cpart2

Requires professional development in: using Internet resources and communication tools for 

instruction ....................................................................................................................................... 0.57 0.48

Q15dpart2 Requires professional development in: integrating technology into instruction ............................... 0.64 0.61

Q15epart2 Requires professional development in: creating or using digital portfolios ...................................... 0.78 0.84

Q15fpart2

Requires professional development in: developing curriculum plans that include using 

technology to address content standards ......................................................................................... 0.64 0.80

Q15gpart2

Requires professional development in: applying technology in assessing student achievement 

with respect to state curriculum standards ...................................................................................... 0.71 0.63

Q15hpart2

Requires professional development in: using technology to access or manipulate data to guide 

instruction ....................................................................................................................................... 0.64 0.74

Q15ipart2 Requires professional development in: using student assessment and evaluation strategies that 

involve technology .......................................................................................................................... 0.64 0.48

Q15jpart2 Requires professional development in: teaching via distance learning ............................................. 0.71 0.96

Q15kpart2 Requires professional development in: using technology to support collaboration .......................... 0.64 0.72

Q15lpart2

Requires professional development in: using technology to promote dialogue on student 

performance indicators and related data .......................................................................................... 0.50 0.59

Q15mpart2 Requires professional development in: Internet safety ..................................................................... 0.50 0.64

Q15npart2 Requires professional development in: intellectual property and copyright rules ............................. 0.43 0.58

Question 16: Extent of Agreement or Disagreement With Statements on Educational Technology in District 

Q16a Extent of agreement with: Technology is a priority for the district administration ........................... 0.07 0.02

Q16b Extent of agreement with: Teachers are sufficiently trained to integrate technology into 

classroom instruction ...................................................................................................................... 0.07 0.01

Q16f Extent of agreement with: Funding for educational technology is adequate ..................................... 0.07 0.06

1 See technical notes for definitions of types of network connections.

NOTE: Data were imputed using hot-deck imputation procedures.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), ―Educational 

Technology in Public School Districts,‖ FRSS 93, 2008.
B-8

Data Reliability

Although the Educational Technology in Public School Districts survey was designed to account for sampling 

error and to minimize nonsampling error, estimates produced from the data collected are subject to both types 

of error. Sampling error occurs because the data are collected from a sample rather than a census of the 

population, and nonsampling errors are errors made during the collection and processing of the data.

Sampling Errors

The responses were weighted to produce national estimates (table B-1). The weights were designed to reflect

the variable probabilities of selection of the sampled districts and were adjusted for differential unit 

(questionnaire) nonresponse. The nonresponse weighting adjustments were made within classes defined by 

variables correlated with response propensity: district size class, metropolitan status of the district, and a 

measure of poverty status defined by the estimated percentage of children in the district with families living 

below the poverty level.6 Within the final weighting classes, the base weights (i.e., the reciprocal of districts’ 

probabilities of selection) of the responding districts were inflated by the inverse of the weighted response rate 

for the class. The findings in this report are estimates based on the sample selected and, consequently, are 

subject to sampling variability. General sampling theory was used to estimate the sampling variability of the 

estimates and to test for statistically significant differences between estimates.

The standard error is a measure of the variability of an estimate due to sampling. It indicates the variability of a 

sample estimate that would be obtained from all possible samples of a given design and size. Standard errors 

are used as a measure of the precision expected from a particular sample. If all possible samples were surveyed 

under similar conditions, intervals of 1.96 standard errors below to 1.96 standard errors above a particular 

statistic would include the true population parameter being estimated in about 95 percent of the samples. This 

is a 95 percent confidence interval. For example, the estimated percentage of public school districts with a 

district network is 84.0 percent, and the standard error is 2.0 percent (tables 3 and 3a). The 95 percent 

confidence interval for the statistic extends from [84.0 – (2.0 x 1.96)] to [84.0 + (2.0 x 1.96)], or from 80.1 to 

87.9 percent. The 1.96 is the critical value for a statistical test at the 0.05 significance level (where 0.05 

indicates the 5 percent of all possible samples that would be outside the range of the confidence interval).

Because the data from the FRSS educational technology survey were collected using a complex sampling 

design, the variances of the estimates from this survey (e.g., estimates of proportions) are typically different 

from what would be expected from data collected with a simple random sample. Not taking the complex 

sample design into account can lead to an underestimation of the standard errors associated with such 

estimates. To generate accurate standard errors for the estimates in this report, standard errors were computed 

using a technique known as jackknife replication. As with any replication method, jackknife replication 

involves constructing a number of subsamples (replicates) from the full sample and computing the statistic of 

interest for each replicate. The mean square error of the replicate estimates around the full sample estimate 

provides an estimate of the variance of the statistic. To construct the replications, 50 stratified subsamples of 

the full sample were created and then dropped one at a time to define 50 jackknife replicates. A computer 

program (WesVar) was used to calculate the estimates of standard errors.

All specific statements of comparisons made in this report have been tested for statistical significance at the 

.05 level using Student’s t-statistic to ensure that the differences are larger than those that might be expected 

due to sampling variation. Adjustments for multiple comparisons were not included. Student’s t values were 

computed to test the difference between estimates with the following formula:

 

6

For more information about poverty status, see the section of this report on Definitions of Analysis Variables.
B-9

2

2

2

1

1 2

se se

E E

t







where E1 and E2 are the estimates to be compared and se1 and se2 are their corresponding standard errors.

Many of the variables examined are related to one another, and complex interactions and relationships have not 

been explored.

Nonsampling Errors

Nonsampling error is the term used to describe variations in the estimates that may be caused by population 

coverage limitations and data collection, processing, and reporting procedures. The sources of nonsampling 

errors are typically problems like unit and item nonresponse, differences in respondents’ interpretations of the 

meaning of questions, response differences related to the particular time the survey was conducted, and 

mistakes made during data preparation. It is difficult to identify and estimate either the amount of nonsampling 

error or the bias caused by this error. To minimize the potential for nonsampling error, this study used a variety 

of procedures, including a pretest of the questionnaire with school district respondents. The pretest provided 

the opportunity to check for consistency of interpretation of questions and definitions and to eliminate 

ambiguous items. The questionnaire and instructions were also extensively reviewed by NCES and the data 

requester at the Office of Educational Technology. In addition, manual and machine editing of the 

questionnaire responses were conducted to check the data for accuracy and consistency. Cases with missing or 

inconsistent items were recontacted by telephone to resolve problems. Data were keyed with 100 percent 

verification for surveys received by mail, fax, or telephone.

Definitions of Analysis Variables

Many of the district characteristics, described below, may be related to each other. For example, district 

enrollment size and community type are related, with city districts typically being larger than rural districts.

Other relationships between these analysis variables may exist. However, this First Look report focuses on 

national estimates and bivariate relationships between the analysis variables and questionnaire variables rather 

than more complex analyses.

District Enrollment Size—This variable indicates the total number of students enrolled in the district based 

on data from the 2005–06 CCD. The variable was collapsed into the following three categories:

Less than 2,500 students 

2,500 to 9,999 students

10,000 or more students

Community Type—This variable indicates the type of community in which the district is located based on 

data from the 2005–06 CCD Local Education Agency (School District) Locale Code files. The 12 category 

urban-centric district locale code that was assigned using the 2000 Decennial Census data was collapsed into 

the following four categories:

City—Includes large, midsize, and small principal cities

Suburban—Includes large, midsize, and small urbanized territories outside principal cities

Town—Includes fringe, distant, and remote territories that are inside an urban cluster

Rural—Includes fringe, distant, and remote territories that are outside of urbanized areas and urban 

clusters
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Region—This variable classifies districts into one of the four geographic regions used by the Bureau of 

Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Data were obtained from the 2005–06 CCD Local 

Education Agency Universe file. The geographic regions are as follows:

Northeast—Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New 

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Southeast—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, 

South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia 

Central—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, 

Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin

West—Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming 

Poverty Concentration—This variable indicates the percentage of children in the district ages 5–17 in 

families living below the poverty level, based on the Title I data provided to the U.S. Department of Education 

by the U.S. Census Bureau, ―Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates.‖ For detailed information on the 

methodology used to create these estimates, please refer to http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/index.html.

Data on this variable were missing for a small number of responding districts; districts with missing data were 

excluded from all analyses involving poverty concentration. The variable was collapsed into the following 

three categories:

Less than 10 percent

10 to 19 percent

20 percent or more

Definitions of Terms Used in this Report

Definitions included on the questionnaire:

Technology: Information technology such as computers, devices that can be attached to computers 

(e.g., LCD projector, interactive whiteboard, digital camera), networks (e.g., Internet, local networks), 

and computer software. We specifically are not including non-computer technologies such as 

overhead projectors and VCRs.

Asset recovery program: Asset recovery programs provide third-party disposal services for owned or 

leased computers, which are then usually refurbished or recycled.

Blogs: Websites where an individual or group creates a running log of entries that can be read by 

other users, such as in a journal.

Wikis: Collaborative websites that allow users to freely create and edit web page content (e.g., 

Wikipedia).

Social networking websites: Online social networks for communities of people who share interests 

and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others (e.g., Facebook, 

MySpace).
B-11

Definitions for types of network connections (these definitions were not included on the questionnaire):

Dial-up connection: Data transmission through a normal telephone line upon command, at the 

maximum speed of 56 KB per second.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network): Sends voice and data over digital telephone lines or 

normal telephone wires at the speed of up to 128 KB per second.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line): Refers collectively to a group of digital subscriber lines, including 

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line), HDSL 

(High Data Rate Digital Subscriber Line), and SHDSL (Single-Pair High-Speed Digital Subscriber 

Line). Available transmission speeds vary according to provider and geographic area.

Broadband cable: Dedicated transmission of data through cable TV lines. Available transmission 

speeds vary according to provider and geographic area.

T1 or DS1: Dedicated digital transmission of data and voice at a speed up to 1.5 MB per second; 

composed of 24 channels.

T3 or DS3: Dedicated digital transmission of data and voice at a speed up to 45 MB per second; 

composed of 672 channels.

Direct fiber: Transmission of data by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. With direct 

fiber architecture, each fiber leaving the central location goes to exactly one customer. Available 

transmission speeds vary according to provider and geographic area.

Wireless: Transmission of data without the use of physical wires or cables. Generally uses 

electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves, microwaves, or laser beams. Available transmission 

speeds vary according to provider and geographic area.

Contact Information

For more information about the survey, contact Peter Tice, Early Childhood, International, and 

Crosscutting Studies Division, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, 

U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, e-mail: peter.tice@ed.gov; 

telephone: (202) 502-7497. 
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Appendix C

Questionnaire
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Information Copy - Do Not Complete

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FORM APPROVED

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS O.M.B. No.: 1850–0733

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006–5651 EXPIRATION DATE: 10/2009

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS, FALL 2008

FAST RESPONSE SURVEY SYSTEM

This survey is authorized by law (P.L. 103-382). While participation in this survey is voluntary, your cooperation is critical 

to make the results of this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely. Your answers may be used only for statistical 

purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose unless otherwise compelled by 

law. (Public Law 107-279, Education Sciences Reform Act, Section 183.)

Please answer this survey using Fall 2008 information.

Definitions

Technology: Information technology such as computers, devices that can be attached to computers (e.g., LCD projector, 

interactive whiteboard, digital camera), networks (e.g., Internet, local networks), and computer software. We specifically 

are not including non-computer technologies such as overhead projectors and VCRs.

Asset recovery program: Asset recovery programs provide third-party disposal services for owned or leased computers, 

which are then usually refurbished or recycled.

Blogs: Websites where an individual or group creates a running log of entries that can be read by other users, such as in 

a journal.

Wikis: Collaborative websites that allow users to freely create and edit web page content (e.g., Wikipedia).

Social networking websites: Online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who 

are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others (e.g., Facebook, MySpace).

IF ABOVE DISTRICT INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, PLEASE UPDATE DIRECTLY ON LABEL.

Name of Person Completing This Form: _________________________________________________________________

Title/Position: ______________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number: __________________________________ Email: ______________________________________

Best days and times to reach you (in case of questions): ___________________________________________________

THANK YOU. PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THE SURVEY FOR YOUR RECORDS.

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, CONTACT:

Mail: Cindy Gray (8096.13.03) Cindy Gray at Westat

Westat 800-937-8281, Ext. 4336 or 301-251-4336

1650 Research Boulevard Email: cgray@westat.com

Rockville, Maryland 20850-3195

Fax: 800-254-0984

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB 

control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0733. The time required to complete this information collection is 

estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and 

complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving 

this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651. If you have any comments or concerns regarding the status of 

your individual submission of this form, write directly to: National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006.

FRSS 93, 08/2008
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Information Copy - Do Not Complete

Please answer this survey using Fall 2008 information.

1. How many schools are there in your district? ______

2. How many schools in your district have a local area network (LAN) connecting the computers within the school? ____

3. Does your district have a network connecting the district to its schools (e.g., a Wide Area Network)?

Yes ................... 1 No .................... 2 (Skip to question 6.)

4. How many schools are connected to the district network? _____ 

5. Please provide information on your district network connections: 

In part 1, indicate the number of schools that have each type of connection to the district. (Exclude connections that 

are only internal to schools. If no schools have a specific connection type, enter 0.) 

In part 2, indicate “yes” or “no” for each connection type from the district to the Internet service provider(s). (If you 

obtain Internet service through a regional or state network, include the connection from your district to that network.) 

Type of district network connection

1. From district

to schools

2. From district to Internet 

service provider(s)

Number of schools Yes No

a. Dial-up or ISDN ........................................................... _________ 1 2

b. DSL ............................................................................. _________ 1 2

c. Broadband cable ......................................................... _________ 1 2

d. T1 or DS1 .................................................................... _________ 1 2

e. T3 or DS3 .................................................................... _________ 1 2

f. Direct fiber ................................................................... _________ 1 2

g. Wireless ....................................................................... _________ 1 2

h. Other (specify type for each “other” connection): ........

(1) From district to schools: ____________________

(2) From district to Internet: ____________________

_________ 1 2

6. Does your district have the ability to switch to a backup connection to the Internet if a primary connection goes down?

Yes .................. 1 No ................... 2 

7. Does your district have a formal computer replacement plan (for some or all computers) that is reflected in long-term 

district budget planning?

Yes .................. 1 No ................... 2 

8. Does your district participate in an asset recovery program for its computers? (See definition on cover.)

Yes, for all computers ................... 1 Yes, for some computers ...............2 No ....................... 3

9. What does your district generally do with older computers that can no longer serve their original purpose? (Circle one 

on each line.)

Yes No

a. Continue to use until nonfunctional ................................................................ 1 2 ...............................

b. Upgrade memory or components to extend useful life ................................ 1 2 .................................

c. Re-purpose for less demanding tasks ................................................................ 1 2 ..........................

d. Donate to other school districts, nonprofits, families, etc. ................................ 1 2 .............................

e. Sell/auction ................................................................................................ 1 2....................................

f. Recycle/dispose ................................................................................................ 1 2 ............................

g. Other (please specify): ________________________________1_________________________ 2

10. Please indicate whether your district has written policies restricting use (e.g., blocking access) or specifying 

acceptable use by students that specifically address each of the following: (Circle one on each line.)

Yes No

a. Cell phones ................................................................................................ 1 2...................................

b. MP3 players/iPods ................................................................................................ 1 2 ........................

c. Wikis and/or blogs (definitions on cover) ................................................................ 1 2 ......................

d. Social networking websites (definition on cover) ................................ 1 ................................ 2 ..........

e. Email ................................................................................................ 1 ................................ 2 .............

f. Other Internet use. ................................................................................................ 1 2 ........................
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Information Copy - Do Not Complete

11. Please indicate whether your district offers its elementary and secondary school teachers the following:

(Circle one on each line for elementary teachers and one for secondary teachers.)

If your district has no elementary school teachers, check here and leave part 1 blank.

If your district has no secondary school teachers, check here and leave part 2 blank.

Technology offered to teachers

1. Elementary school teachers 2. Secondary school teachers

Yes, to all 

elementary 

teachers

Yes, to some 

elementary 

teachers No

Yes, to all 

secondary 

teachers

Yes, to 

some 

secondary 

teachers No

a. Server space for the purpose of posting their 

own web pages or class materials ..................... 1 2 3 1 2 3

b. Access to online district resources (multimedia resources, professional development 

materials) ........................................................... 1 2 3 1 2 3

c. Remote access (e.g., access from home) to 

school or district software .................................. 1 2 3 1 2 3

d. Access to course management and delivery 

software ............................................................. 1 2 3 1 2 3

e. Access to electronic administrative tools 

(e.g., electronic gradebooks) ............................. 1 2 3 1 2 3

f. Online curricula .................................................. 1 2 3 1 2 3

g. Opportunities for distance learning 

(e.g., professional development offered over 

the Internet or through videoconferencing) ........ 1 2 3 1 2 3

h. Online student assessment tools ....................... 1 2 3 1 2 3

12. Please indicate whether your district offers its elementary and secondary students the following:

(Circle one on each line for elementary students and one for secondary students. If your district has no students at 

one of those levels, leave that level blank.)

Technology offered to students

1. Elementary school students 2. Secondary school students

Yes, to all 

elementary 

students

Yes, to some 

elementary 

students No

Yes, to all 

secondary 

students

Yes, to some 

secondary 

students No

a. Email accounts used for schoolwork ................ 1 2 3 1 2 3

b. Electronic storage space on a server ............... 1 2 3 1 2 3

c. Online access to the library catalogue .............. 1 2 3 1 2 3

d. Online access to databases .............................. 1 2 3 1 2 3

e. Online curricula ................................................. 1 2 3 1 2 3

f. Opportunities for distance learning over the 

Internet or through videoconferencing .............. 1 2 3 1 2 3

g. Remote access (e.g., at home) to most 

software that is used in their classes ................ 1 2 3 1 2 3

13. Are the following types of student data kept in an electronic data system? (Circle one on each line.)

Yes No

a. Personal data (e.g., contact information) .................................. 1 2

b. Demographic data (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender) ....................... 1 2

c. Enrollment data (e.g., status and location) ................................ 1 2

d. Attendance data ........................................................................ 1 2

e. Records on disciplinary actions ................................................. 1 2

f. Health record data ..................................................................... 1 2

g. Recent report cards ................................................................... 1 2

h. Grade history (e.g., transcripts) ................................................. 1 2

i. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) ............................................. 1 2

j. Transportation data (e.g., bus assignments) ............................. 1 2

k. State standardized assessment scores ..................................... 1 2

l. District-wide assessment results ............................................... 1 2
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Information Copy - Do Not Complete

14. Does your district employ an individual who is responsible for educational technology leadership (e.g., a Chief 

Information Officer or comparable role)?

Yes, full-time devoted to this role .... 1 Yes, part-time devoted to this role ... 2 No ......................... 3

15. In part 1, indicate whether your district offers teacher professional development (e.g., workshops, courses, 

coordinated workgroups) in the following topics. In part 2, indicate whether your district requires teachers to 

participate in professional development in each topic. (Please answer both parts for each item. Even if a topic is not 

offered, please report whether it is required.)

Topic for teacher professional development 1. Offered by district 2. Required by 

district

Yes No Yes No

a. Using multimedia digital content (e.g., digital audio or video) for 

instruction .............................................................................................. 1 2 1 2

b. Using content-specific software tools for instruction (e.g., graphic 

organizers, interactive math programs, graphing tools, etc.) ................ 1 2 1 2

c. Using Internet resources and communication tools for instruction 

(e.g., accessing education materials, online discussion forums, virtual 

field trips) ............................................................................................... 1 2 1 2

d. Integrating technology into instruction ................................................... 1 2 1 2

e. Creating or using digital portfolios ......................................................... 1 2 1 2

f. Developing curriculum plans that include using technology to address 

content standards .................................................................................. 1 2 1 2

g. Applying technology in assessing student achievement with respect 

to state curriculum standards ................................................................ 1 2 1 2

h. Using technology to access or manipulate data to guide instruction .... 1 2 1 2

i. Using student assessment and evaluation strategies that involve 

technology (e.g., real-time feedback on assessments, databases that 

link standards with instructional resources and strategies) ................... 1 2 1 2

j. Teaching via distance learning .............................................................. 1 2 1 2

k. Using technology to support collaboration ............................................ 1 2 1 2

l. Using technology to promote dialogue on student performance 

indicators and related data .................................................................... 1 2 1 2

m. Internet safety ........................................................................................ 1 2 1 2

n. Intellectual property and copyright rules ................................................ 1 2 1 2

16. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements as it relates to using 

educational technology in the instructional program in your district. (Circle one on each line.)

Strongly 

disagree

Somewhat 

disagree

Neither 

agree nor 

disagree

Somewhat 

agree

Strongly 

agree

a. Technology is a priority for the district administration ... 1 2 3 4 5

b. Teachers are sufficiently trained to integrate 

technology into classroom instruction ........................... 1 2 3 4 5

c. Teachers are interested in using technology in 

classroom instruction .................................................... 1 2 3 4 5

d. Technology infrastructure is adequate 

(e.g., adequate Internet speeds) ................................... 1 2 3 4 5

e. Technical support for educational technology is 

adequate ....................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5

f. Funding for educational technology is adequate .......... 1 2 3 4 5

g. Funding for educational technology is being spent in 

the most appropriate ways ............................................ 1 2 3 4 5

h. Use of educational technology is adversely affected by 

competing priorities in the classroom ............................ 1 2 3 4 5