The Use of Technology in Chicago Public Schools 2011: Perspectives from Students, Teachers, and Principals

This report finds that about half of sixth- through twelfth-graders in Chicago Public Schools report using technology for school less than once a week. Between 20 and 30 percent of students report never or rarely using technology for school—at most once or twice a semester. At the same time, the vast majority (92 percent) report having access to the internet at home, signaling a clear divide between how students interact with technology in and out of school. "Given that low-income students are the least likely to be exposed to technology at home, we were surprised and encouraged by the large percentage of Chicago students who reported having access to the internet," said Stacy Ehrlich, lead author of the report. "However, we were disappointed to learn that widespread access outside of school did not translate into widespread use for academic purposes." The report is based on 2011 and 2012 survey data from CPS teachers, principals and students. It updates previous CCSR research on technology use in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) by focusing on the most basic skills and experiences students need in order to become techno­logically literate—e.g., the extent to which students use technology for school and whether factors such as school culture and teacher and principal expectations contribute to student use.

STACY B. EHRLICH is a Senior Research Analyst at the UChicago CCSR. She earned her BS in human development and family studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MA and PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Chicago. SUSAN E. SPORTE is Director for Research Operations at UChicago CCSR. She serves as the main point of contact with Chicago Public Schools regarding data sharing and research priorities; she also oversees UChicago CCSR's data archive. PENNY BENDER SEBRING is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Chicago and Founding Co-Director of UChicago CCSR. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Public Education Fund, and she is chair of the Policy Advisory Board of the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (UChicago CCSR) builds the capacity for school reform by conducting research that identifies what matters for student success and school improvement. Created in 1990 after the passage of the Chicago School Reform Act that decentralized governance of the city's public schools, UChicago CCSR conducts research of high technical quality that can inform and assess policy and practice in the Chicago Public Schools. UChicago CCSR studies also have informed broader national movements in public education. UChicago CCSR encourages the use of research in policy action and improvement of practice but does not argue for particular policies or programs. Rather, UChicago CCSR helps to build capacity for school reform by identifying what matters for student success and school improvement, creating critical indicators to chart progress, and conducting theory-driven evaluation to identify how programs and policies are working.