The lap of learning: Henrico County's districtwide use of wireless technology may alter the instructional landscape

School Administrator, April, 2003 by Mark A. Edwards

These efforts have resulted in the scaffolding of a bridge over the digital divide to benefit students and their families.

Early Evaluation

As part of the partnership with Apple, the school system has agreed to be a living laboratory with one-to-one, seven-day-a-week computing for teachers and students to test a vital concept: Does 24/7 technology access increase student achievement? After nearly two years of implementation, both teaching and learning are significantly different in Henrico County secondary school classrooms. Through qualitative, anecdotal and first-year quantitative data, we are seeing early indicators of a positive impact.

Ongoing qualitative and anecdotal data are obtained through direct feedback from students, parents, community/business leaders and staff to identify needs. Focus groups consisting of students, teachers, parents and administrators are held routinely to build knowledge about building-level infrastructure, instructional methods and support. As one high school principal stated, "By working together, I feel a sense of camaraderie that I don't think existed before. We all have unique school communities, but we have the same challenges and the initiative has caused us to work, share and learn together."

Anecdotal accounts from teachers indicate the hands-on learning and teaming that accompany constructive projects and inquiry-based learning activities foster interactive student teacher and student-student relationships. Students indicate that when technology is used effectively as a learning tool, they are more confident in their classroom performance and their organizational skills. With instructional materials organized on computers, an added bonus is less need for students to carry heavy backpacks loaded with books, As one student shared, "With the laptop I am able to organize my notes in a folder for each class. My laptop has become my locker, my notebook, my library and my backpack, I can't do without it."

Hard Evidence

In addition to the qualitative information, early indicators measured in quantitative terms have provided positive momentum for the proof of concept.

At the high school level in Henrico, the share of fully accredited schools increased from 63 percent to 75 percent in the last year, and the number of graduates continuing their education rose 2.5 percent.

The most telling data, however, have been on the state's Standards of Learning tests. In 11 core curriculur tests, students improved on nine, remained level on one and lost two points on another. The greatest one-year gains on the end-of-course tests came in the three history subjects, reading and writing-content areas where laptops were used the most. A 14-point increase in a course titled World History from 1000 and a whopping 20-point gain in U.S. history suggest the use of dynamic, current content accessed daily by laptop made a huge difference in student achievement in these areas. Couple the state test results with the lowest-ever dropout rate in Henrico's history--1.52 percent--and even the greatest skeptics of one-to-one laptop use take another look.