Only one out of five teachers uses a computer regularly for teaching, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But budgets and funding often don't reflect that belief. Technology is a special case. We assume teachers know about content and pedagogy, and we expect them to stay up to date in those areas. But they have not been prepared to think about how technology can enhance their teaching.
Solid data can make a real difference in public perceptions and in policymaking, experts say.
For example, a 1995 NCES survey showed the nation that only 9 percent of school classrooms were wired to the Internet. Coming at a time when the public was becoming intrigued by the World Wide Web, the figure provided a rallying point for the NetDay movement to wire classrooms. The number of wired classrooms rose to 14 percent in the 1996 NCES survey and is expected to jump again this year. As the states exert more leadership in technology and school reform efforts, they have become especially hungry for data that compare their schools with those in other states. It's like how your state compares on SAT scores.