• Does Universal School-Level Internet Access Mean Universal Instructional Use of the Internet?
• What Resources Encourage Increased Use?
• Are Some Teachers More Likely Than Others to Use the Internet When They Have Classroom Access and Support?
• What School Characteristics Are Related to the Presence of Classroom Internet Access and Support?
• Conclusion
• References

In 1999, 95 percent of all public schools had Internet access (Williams 2000). This percentage did not vary by the concentration of poor students in the school. Despite similar school-level access, 63 percent of academic teachers in schools with the lowest enrollment of poor students (less than 11 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch) reported that they used computers or the Internet for instruction during class time, while 47 percent of teachers in schools with 50 to 70 percent of students eligible reported this use (Smerdon et al. 2000, p. 23).¹ Furthermore, 56 percent of teachers in schools with less than 6 percent minority enrollment used computers or the Internet for instruction, while 45 percent of teachers in schools with minority enrollment of 50 percent or more reported this use.²

Overall, 53 percent of teachers reported classroom-level access to the Internet, 80 percent of teachers reported that training in the use of the Internet was available to them, 75 percent of teachers reported that assistance in the use of the Internet was available to them, and 43 percent of teachers reported having all three resources (table 2). Each of these resources was related to the likelihood that teachers also reported using the Internet for instruction. Sixty-five percent of teachers reporting classroom access to the Internet reported using computers or the Internet for instruction during class time, compared with 38 percent of teachers reporting no classroom access (table 1). Similarly, 56 percent of teachers who reported that training was available to them from their state, district, or school in the use of the Internet reported using computers or the Internet for instruction during class time, compared with 43 percent of teachers who said training was not available and 34 per-cent of those who did not know. Fifty-six percent of teachers reporting availability of technical assistance for using the Internet reported using computers or the Internet for instruction during class time, compared with 42 percent of teachers who said assistance was not available.

Teachers were most likely to use the Internet for instruction during class time when they reported that both classroom-level access and support in the form of training and assistance were available to them. Sixty-eight percent of teachers reporting classroom access to the Internet and the availability of training and assistance for using the Internet reported using computers or the Internet for instruction during class time, compared with 52 percent of teachers who reported classroom access but not training and assistance, 40 percent of those who reported training and assistance but no classroom access, and 37 percent of those who reported neither classroom access nor training and assistance (figure 1).

Among teachers who reported classroom Internet access and the availability of training and assistance for the Internet, the school-level disparities in reported use discussed earlier no longer appear. Of teachers reporting classroom Internet access and the availability of training and assistance for the Internet, 68 percent reported the use of computers or the Internet for instruction during class time (figure 1). No statistically significant differences based on school poverty concentration or school minority enrollment were found (data not shown).

Generally, teachers in schools with high enrollment of poor students were less likely to report classroom Internet access and the availability of training and assistance in the use of the Internet. Teachers in schools with 50 percent or more of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were less likely than teachers in schools with 11 to 30 percent of students eligible to report that the Internet was available in their classroom, and they were less likely than teachers in schools with less than 50 percent of students eligible to report that training in the use of the Internet was available (table 2). Teachers in schools with more than 70 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were less likely than teachers in schools with less than 50 percent of students eligible to report that assistance in the use of the Internet was available.

Overall, half or less of all teachers reported the availability of all three resources—classroom Internet access, and training and assistance in the use of the Internet (table 2, last column). Differences in classroom access, training, and assistance existed by the level of minority enrollment in a teacher's school. Teachers in schools with minority enrollment of 50 percent or more were less likely than those in schools with less than 50 percent minority enrollment to report having a combination of all three resources—classroom Internet access, training in the use of the Internet, and assistance in the use of the Internet—as well as having each resource individually.

Classroom-level access to the Internet and support in the form of training and assistance appear to be important factors in instructional use of the Internet during class time. Depending on school characteristics, half or less of teachers reported that all three resources were available, and of these teachers, about two-thirds indicated that they used computers or the Internet for instruction during class time. Furthermore, among teachers who reported having all of these resources, the percentage reporting instructional use of computers or the Internet during class time did not vary by the proportion of poor and minority students at these teachers' schools. However, teachers in schools with high enrollments of poor and minority students were generally less likely to report the availability of these resources.

The rapid pace of change in the world of education technology necessitates the further collection of data. In the year after these data were collected alone, the proportion of instructional rooms with Internet access in U.S. public schools rose, from 64 percent in 1999 to 77 percent in 2000 (Cattagni and Farris 2001). In addition, there is much more to be learned about teachers' instructional use of technology. Data on digital content used in classrooms, online assessments, the quality and duration of instances of instructional use of technology, and other areas would further our ability to understand how technology is changing the nation's classrooms. Other NCES survey programs, such as the Schools and Staffing Survey and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, will be publishing more data on teachers' use of technology in the next few years.

¹ As was the case in the Smerdon et al. analyses, this Issue Brief focuses on teachers in schools with Internet access.

² The relationship between poverty concentration and minority enrollment should be considered when interpreting data presented in this report; schools with high minority enrollment were also more likely to have high poverty concentration.

Cattagni, A., and Farris, E. (2001). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–2000 (NCES 2001–071). U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC.

Ronnkvist, A., Dexter, S.L., and Anderson, R.E. (2000). Technology Support: Its Depth, Breadth and Impact in America's Schools. Irvine, CA: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations, University of California, Irvine, and University of Minnesota.

Smerdon, B., Cronen, S., Lanahan, L., Anderson, J., Iannotti, N., and Angeles, J. (2000). Teachers' Tools for the 21st Century: A Report on Teachers' Use of Technology (NCES 2000–102). U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Williams, C. (2000). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–99 (NCES 2000–086). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.