July 2005 — SETDA
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Can Technology Narrow the Black-White Achievement Gap?
While some educational programs have produced measured gains for black children, it remains unclear exactly which educational policies, programs, or practices both reduce the gap and sustain this reduction over time. However, the eMINTS program has undertaken rigorous external evaluation to determine the effect of its components—multimedia technology integrated into student-centered, inquiry-based teaching practices— on the black and white achievement gap,and research has proved that the program has been successful with a variety of students.
MAP results. In one study of 39 schools in the 2002 cohort, for example, evaluators examined the MAP scores of students enrolled in eMINTS classrooms versus those enrolled in non-eMINTS classrooms (Analysis of 2003 MAP Results for eMINTS Students, eMINTS National Center, 2004, www.emints.org/evaluation/reports/map2003.pdf). Among the findings:
- There were positive differences among low-income students enrolled in eMINTS classrooms. On the fourth grade mathematics test, for instance, enrollment in an eMINTS classroom reduced the MAP score difference (attributed to student poverty) by about half.
- On the communication arts and mathematics tests, enrollment in an eMINTS classroom reduced the score deficit for students receiving special-education services (as indicated by the presence of an Individualized Education Program) by about half.
- Students enrolled in a schoolwide Title I school and an eMINTS classroom scored significantly higher on their communication arts tests than students enrolled in “targeted assistance” schools and students enrolled in a noneMINTS classroom in a schoolwide Title I school.
Cohort results. Another report, An Exploratory Study of the Black-White Achievement Gap in eMINTS-Student Gap Results (Douglas R. Hager, eMINTS National Center, 2004, www.emints.org/evaluation/reports/gapanalysis.pdf), examines achievement data for black and white students by eMINTS enrollment for three cohorts of participating schools. It examined schools which began implementing the eMINTS instructional model during the 1999-2000, 2000-2001, and 2001-2002 school years.
School districts applied to participate in the eMINTS program for each cohort, and upon acceptance they identified at least one school where the program would be implemented in at least two classrooms. These classrooms were then equipped with a prescribed suite of hardware and software products,including:
- A teacher laptop and computer workstation
- A SMART Board interactive whiteboard and projector
- A digital camera
- Color and black-and-white printers
- A scanner
- One Internet-connected computer for every two students
- Software limited to Microsoft Office, Inspiration (concept mapping software) and an Internet browser
Comparing Data
Teachers in eMINTS classrooms participated in a two-year process of professional development and in-class coaching. The professional development program emphasized inquiry-based teaching techniques and creative uses of multimedia technology. Use of Internet resources for student research in solving real-world problems was also a prominent feature of the professional development program.
