In New Jersey, the Christopher Columbus Middle School saw student performance rise from well below to above state averages on standardized tests in reading, language arts, and math after the school implemented reforms that included extensive use of networked computers. Put another way, in three school years, students benefiting from computer-assisted instruction can learn almost a full year's worth of material more than students who do not have access to the technology. Furthermore, case studies suggest that when technology is integrated into the curriculum, it can support new teaching methods that emphasize critical thinking and investigative skills. For example, researchers have found that among students in California's Hueneme School District, average critical thinking abilities increased from the fortieth percentile to the eightieth percentile over the 12 years that the district has been integrating educational technology, including computers and electronic networks, into its classrooms. To date, few public K-12 schools have assembled all the required elements of technology infrastructure.
Some schools have many, others few.
These models were chosen because they represent the prototypical technology choices that schools are actually making, and because they illustrate the key economic breakpoints among different levels of technology infrastructure-that is, the step functions in cost. The models focus on connecting to the information superhighway via networked computers. In addition, the report describes the costs of providing public K-12 schools with interactive video equipment, classroom telephones, and voicemail. The costs associated with the computer-based models illustrate the size of the funding challenge. The models include both initial and ongoing costs for deployment.