When kids get on the computer, do they spend more time surfing the ‘net and less time doing homework and studying? It appears that way, according to this article in Sunday’s New York Times. Whether it’s a lack of parental supervision to help keep a student focused on studying, or the lure of email, chat and games, the data from students in North Carolina and Texas (two different studies) suggest that Internet access had a negative effect on student test scores, and ended up “widening achievement gaps between socioeconomic groups.” This appears to be especially true for students from lower income households.

Anyone surprised? As others have said, technology isn’t the panacea for education . And it’s not to blame. As parents and teachers, we have an important role to play by helping kids manage their screen time, to see that some screen time is educational, and that non-screen time (i.e., regular life) is stimulating too!

The study from the Journal of Economic Research on students in North Carolina public schools by Ladd and Vigdor is here .

About the Author

Joanne Meier has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education, including serving on the faculty at the University of Virginia for six years where she trained reading specialists and future classroom teachers. Dr. Meier was Reading Rockets’ research-to-practice consultant from 2002 to 2014, where she wrote the Page by Page blog — sharing best practices in supporting young readers at home and in the classroom.

Publication Date
July 12, 2010

Related Topics

Assessment and Evaluation, Struggling Readers, Ed Tech and Digital Media
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