Study Questions Technology Spending

More than $4.3 billion was spent last year on technology for America’s classrooms, but a study released Monday raises doubts as to whether some states are spending that money effectively.

The study, conducted by the trade publication Education Week and the Milken Family Foundation, documents a severe lack of technology training for teachers and a lack of actual access to computers for students.

Compiling data from a variety of private and federal government surveys, the report, called “Technology Counts,” paints a picture of teachers who haven’t been trained to use the computers they’ve received.

A 1994 survey by the U.S. Department of Education shows only 15 percent of the nation’s teachers had at least nine hours of instruction in education technology. While a Jostens Learning Corp. survey found 71 percent of respondents had access to computer training, only 48 percent said that training showed them how to integrate computers into instruction.