This project will conduct a longitudinal study of a naturally occurring experimental design resulting from a district-initiated project to supply a cohort of 40 incoming freshmen and 20 teachers with laptop computers. The district, Union City, has committed three years of funding to this project and will add 40 students and teachers in years two and three. Through the use of ethnographic methods, the project will examine the relationships between and among school reform efforts in general, the application of technology, and the overall changes in school achievement. The study will focus on student learning, teacher beliefs and practices, administrator roles and parent involvement. Overall, the study seeks to show when long term investment in technology is partnered with reform of curriculum and teaching. The findings can be used by national, state and local policy makers.
