One-to-One Pilots: A Comparison of Two School Districts Rachel Reinhart Jennifer Theis Toni Sondergeld Savilla Banister Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio, USA

Introduction Research on 1:1 programs has shown increases in student: –Engagement; –Motivation; –Interaction & communication; and –Achievement.

The Problem Districts jumping into 1:1 without adequate planning Urban districts especially face numerous obstacles when implementing innovation.

Challenges for Urban Districts Sociodemographics –Higher poverty –Greater diversity –Higher rates of mobility Structural Challenges –Lack of instructional coherence –Inexperienced teaching staff –Poor data systems –Low expectations –Low achievement

The Study Center of Assessment & Evaluation Services conducted evaluation of 1:1 pilot programs in two districts (urban/suburban)

Framework: ISTE’s Essential Conditions Shared Vision Empowered Leaders Implementation Planning Consistent, Adequate Funding Equitable Access Skilled Personnel Ongoing PD Technical Support Curriculum Framework Student-centered Learning Assessment & Evaluation Engaged Communities Support Policies Supportive External Context

Research Questions 1.How do the participating districts differ in fulfilling ISTE’s Essential Conditions? 2.Do districts significantly differ in teacher technology skills, comfort and barriers about technology use as measured in the pre survey? 3.Do districts significantly differ in amount of change (post-pre) in student technology use? 4.Do districts significantly differ in student perceived impact of the 1:1 pilot?

District Comparison District A--SuburbanDistrict B--Urban Population23,54325,956 % Caucasian9274 Housing Units9,89913,377 % of adults with college degree4813 Median income (US $)72,23034,044 4-year graduation rate9786 Enrollment4,4503,080 State Performance Index RatingBC District Typology Suburban=Very low student poverty; large student pop. Urban=High student poverty; average student population 1:1 Target Grades Grade 5—Chromebooks Grade 8—Chromebooks Grade 9--MacAirs Grade 5—iPads Grade 6—Dell Laptops 1:1 Use24 hr. student possessionKept in classroom on carts

Data Collection 1:1 Pilot Surveys  Teachers, students –Pre—September 2013 –Post—February/March 2014 –Online via SurveyMonkey Interviews –Technology Coordinators –Rate Essential Conditions

1:1 Teacher Survey Survey/Subscale # of Items Response Scale Overall laptop skill 1(0-4) 0=novice, 1= beginner, 2=average, 3=advanced, 4=expert Frequency of teacher technology use 12 (0-4) 0=never, 1=Less than once a week, 2= once a week, 3= a few times a week, 4=daily Frequency of facilitation of student use 17 Comfort with technology 9(1-4) 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree, 4=strongly agree Concerns/Barriers13 (0-3) 0=not a concern, 1=minor concern, 2=moderate concern, 3=major concern! Effectiveness of PD6 (0-4) 0=not effective, 1=somewhat effective, 2=effective, 3=very effective Impact of 1:1 (POST only) 20(1-4) 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree, 4=strongly agree

1:1 Student Survey Survey/Subscale # of Items Response Scale Frequency technology use17 (0-4) 0=never, 1=Less than once a week, 2= once a week, 3= a few times a week, 4=daily Overall laptop skill1 (0-4) 0=novice, 1= beginner, 2=average, 3=advanced, 4=expert Technology skill level14 Barriers/concerns10 (0-3) 0=not a concern, 1=minor concern, 2=moderate concern, 3=major concern! Impact of 1:1 (POST only)12 (1-4) 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree, 4=strongly agree

Comparison of Essential Conditions Essential Conditions District A Suburban District B Urban Shared VisionMeetsInitiates Empowering LeadersMeetsInitiates Implementation PlanningExceedsInitiates Consistent and Adequate FundingMeetsInitiates Equitable AccessMeetsApproaches Skilled PersonnelMeetsInitiates Professional DevelopmentMeetsInitiates Technical SupportMeets/ExceedsInitiates Curriculum FrameworkMeets/ExceedsApproaches Student-centered TeachingMeetsApproaches Assessment & EvaluationMeetsApproaches Engaged CommunitiesApproachesInitiates Support PoliciesExceedsApproaches Supportive External ContextApproaches

Survey Results Teacher Survey participation rates –Suburban: pre—95%, post—75% –Urban: pre—64%, post—32% –Could not conduct pre/post comparisons

Teacher Pre Survey Results –Suburban teachers reported significantly higher levels of technology skills and comfort –No difference in barriers Subscale Suburban DistrictUrban District tp nMSD nM Pre Skills <.0001 Pre Comfort Pre Barriers

Student Survey Results Subscale Suburban DistrictUrban District tp nMSD nM Change in Student Use :1 Impact –Suburban students had significantly greater change in tech use than urban students –Reported greater impact as a result of 1:1

Conclusions Having fulfilled nearly all Essential Conditions, the Suburban District was fertile ground for 1:1. Urban District struggled to address/fulfill Essential Conditions, which created an unstable, ineffective environment for 1:1.

Conclusions Urban District challenges: –Inconsistent resources and infrastructure (Consortium of School Networking, 2014) –School use only –Lack of instructional coherence (Kincheloe, 2010) –Lack of PD –Limited direction and vision

Conclusions ISTE’s Essential Conditions continue to be “essential” in integrating technology. Urban districts need additional support and resources to address these conditions.