Watch CBS News

Study: 20 To 30 Percent Of CPS Students Rarely Use Technology In School

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new study commissioned by the University of Chicago paints a disappointing picture of technology use among public school students in Chicago.

WBBM Newsradio's John Waelti reports the study by the U of C's Consortium on Chicago School Research found that up to 30 percent of students in the Chicago Public Schools system never or rarely use technology at school – meaning once or twice a semester.

Study: CPS Students Infrequently Use Technology

Senior research analyst Stacy Ehrlich said technology use is higher in selective enrollment schools.

"That's not to say that there aren't neighborhood schools or charter schools that are using technologies more. It certainly varies," she said. "Teachers in selective enrollment high schools have expectations for more frequent use, so we actually see more teachers say that they're expecting their students to use these kinds of technologies."

Click here to read the full report.

The study also found no more than half of CPS students in grades 6 through 12 use technology in the classroom on a regular basis.

Ehrlich said teachers use technology differently.

"They use the Internet quite a bit for lesson preparation on their own, but less so, or less frequently in the classroom, when delivering lessons," she said.

However, with more than 90 percent of students in the study saying they have Internet access at home, Ehrlich said the digital divide appears to be narrowing.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.