Research Says…
Bryan Goodwin
One-to-One Laptop Programs Are No Silver Bullet
Nearly a decade ago, when school systems began forking over millions of dollars to purchase laptop computers for every
student, these programs (often called one-to-one
or ubiquitous computing initiatives) were heralded as having the potential to close persistent
technology gaps.
Today, however, some school systems
that ushered in one-to-one laptop programs
amid great fanfare have begun to
scrap them because of budget cuts
(Lemagie, 2010); mushrooming
maintenance costs (Vascellaro,
2006); and concerns about how
students are using the computers
(Hu, 2007).
Many district leaders continue to
believe that one-to-one programs are
worth the expense and headaches.
A recent survey of 364 leaders of
large districts with one-to-one initia-
tives found that 33 percent believed
the laptops were having a significant
effect on student achievement, and
another 45 percent believed they were having
a moderate effect (Greaves & Hayes, 2008). Of
course, such self-reporting is prone to subjec-
tivity. What does more objective research say
about one-to-one initiatives?
The Encouraging News
Let’s start with what we can say from careful
research about the benefits of these programs.
More engaged learners. A four-year study of
5,000 middle school students in Texas found
that those engaged in laptop immersion programs were less likely to have disciplinary
problems (but slightly more likely to be absent
from school) than students in schools without
laptops (Shapley et al., 2009).
Better technology skills. The Texas study also
found that the technology skills of students in
the laptop programs improved significantly—
so much so that after three years, low-income
78 Educational lEadErship / FEbruary 2011
students in the laptop schools displayed
the same levels of technology proficiency
as wealthier students in the control schools
(Shapley et al., 2009).
Cost efficiencies. Proponents of one-to-one
programs also assert that such programs create
savings in other areas, including reduced
costs for textbooks, paper, assessments, and
paperwork, as well as a reduction in disciplinary
actions (Greaves, Hayes, Wilson, Gielniak, &
Peterson, 2010).
Many district leaders
continue to believe that
one-to-one programs
are worth the expense
and headaches.
The Discouraging News
Overall, however, most large-scale evaluations
have found mixed or no results for one-to-one
initiatives. After five years of implementation of
the largest one-to-one initiative in the United
States, Maine’s statewide program, evaluations
found little effect on student achievement—with
one exception, writing, where scores edged up
3. 44 points (in a range of 80 points) in five years
(Silvernail & Gritter, 2007). The evaluators
speculated that the reason other subjects have
not shown measurable improvement could be
that the state assessment does not measure the
21st century technology skills that laptop initiatives promote.
An evaluation of Michigan’s one-to-one
laptop program found similarly mixed results.
It examined eight matched pairs of schools and
found higher achievement in four laptop schools,
