Home ResearchReports Vision:TEST (Technology-Enriched Schools of Tomorrow) (1992)

Vision Test
(Technology-Enriched Schools of Tomorrow)

Copyright (c) 1992, ISTE

                 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
                    Vision:TEST
    (Technologically Enriched Schools of Tomorrow)

     Dr. Ludwig Braun
     Project Director

     Dr. Dave Moursund
     (International Society for Technology in Education)
     Administrative Advisor

     Dr. Karl Zinn 
     (University of Michigan) 
     System Facilitator

                     *******************

               A MESSAGE FROM THE ISTE PRESIDENT

The International Society for Technology in Education 
provides this vision of the future for technology in 
education. This carefully researched and prepared study 
encompasses the resources and ideas of leading experts in the 
uses of technology in education in the United States. 
Technological leaders from many educational, political, and 
business groups were involved in this study. High technology 
decision support centers were used to collect and analyze the 
data. In addition, our Project Director used collaborative 
electronic mail to formulate the information into a set of 
recommendations. ISTE puts forth these recommendations with 
the goal of providing direction for the future of education 
in the United States.

Gary G. Bitter
President, ISTE
1991-1992

                     *******************

      A MESSAGE FROM THE PROJECT DIRECTOR OF VISION:TEST

Over the past twelve months, we have heard from many people 
that our educational system is in crisis. Our students do not 
compare well to those of other countries with whom we compete 
in the business world. Business spends billions of dollars 
every year teaching basic skills to its work force skills 
that should have been taught in school. There have been 
classes for educational reform for many years (Back to 
Basics, etc.), none of which have had any substantial impact 
on the students we are educating. 

Most recently, we have heard from many sources that we must 
restructure" our schools. There does not appear to be 
consensus on how to do the restructuring or even what it 
means. Last winter, ISTE decided to identify an approach to 
school restructuring that made sense educationally and 
financially. We think we have found such an approach, one 
that involves using technology to help 
teachers who are knowledgeable in its many applications in 
education, and who are supported by their school systems. 

We visited 45 schools nationwide, with video cameras and 
microphones, to interview and observe children, teachers, and 
administrators. These schools are typical of schools 
everywhere with the exception that they use technology in a 
wide variety of ways and do so with great success. All 
attribute their success to the use of technology. All 
modified their structure. All invested in training their 
teachers. ISTE has prepared a set of videotapes describing 
technology-related activities at these schools.

We searched the relevant literature and had an extended 
dialogue with 150 leaders in education and business. The 
complete results of this project are provided in a final 
report available from ISTE. The full report 

*     cites evidence of technology's effectiveness,

*     explores a financial model of impact of dropouts,

*     identifies elements of school restructuring required to 
make effective use of technology,

*     includes a set of five major recommendations and more 
than twenty detailed visions that are intended to help 
educators realize the National Goals for Education set forth 
by the President and the Governors, 

*     sets forth some contributions from business to help 
educators to achieve the Goals.

Lud Braun

                         INTRODUCTION

The President of the United States, governors, national 
education organizations, school officials, teachers, parents, 
and students have agreed that our present education system is 
ineffective for the Information Age. At the historic 
education summit in September, 1989, in Charlottesville, 
Virginia, the President and governors of the United States 
declared as a goal that America's educational performance 
must be second to none.

Our nation's school dropout rate is 50% or higher in many 
urban areas, and the national average suggests that one out 
of every four youngsters entering kindergarten today will 
never complete the twelfth grade. Furthermore, many students 
who are graduating and entering the world of work are lacking 
the basic skills and the higher-order skills required in the 
modern marketplace.

The cost of an underskilled or unqualified work force to 
society and industry grows greater every year. Last year 
business spent $25 billion on basic skills training for 
workers. The yearly cost to society for dropouts is nearly as 
high. As compared to high school graduates, dropouts are much 
more likely to receive welfare assistance or become 
institutionalized at the expense of society. In addition, 
young people leaving high school without a diploma generally 
earn much less than those who graduate. Experts predict that 
80% of the jobs that will exist in the year 2000 do not exist 
today; 70% of these will require two years of education 
beyond high school, and 35% will require four years of 
education beyond high school.

We must, as a nation, recognize that the short-term costs of 
improving our schools and incorporating technology into the 
curricula are much less than the long-term costs resulting 
from an undereducated or inappropriately educated population.

                         BACKGROUND

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, the educational 
system of the United States was designed to provide workers 
forthe agricultural and industrial world into which its 
children would move. This country's national and 
international success was due, in no small measure, to the 
education provided through this system. In the decades since, 
the world has changed dramatically. The Information Age 
imposes significantly different requirements on an educated 
citizenry. Our current economy requires workers who are 
educated broadly and deeply, who can communicate with their 
coworkers and with customers, and who can solve problems. Our 
society requires citizens who can innovate, who can think 
critically and analytically, and who are prepared for 
lifelong learning.

Over the past two decades, the United States has expended 
ever-increasing amounts on education. However, an increasing 
percentage of students have dropped out and failed to 
complete high school. Many children who remain in school are 
not mastering basic academic skills, nor are they gaining 
higher-order thinking skills, proficiency in the art of 
learning, or the ability to adapt to change. On average, our 
students continue to perform poorly on standardized tests 
when compared to students from other countries, or even when 
compared to earlier generations of our own students.  

The Vision: TEST project was conducted by the International 
Society for Technology in Education.  The goal was to provide 
educational decision makers with recommendations for 
improving our schools.

                      THE PROJECT

In March, 1990, the IBM Educational Systems Division awarded 
ISTE a grant to carry out a study of the potential that 
technology offers to the field of education. ISTE has 
involved 150 leading educators at all levels of education to 
identify relevant studies, provide input based on personal 
experiences, and contribute conceptual guidance and advice. 
Project leaders also arranged for a video team to visit 45 
schools nationwide where technology is playing a role in 
creating exciting learning environments. 

Vision: TEST Videos

The video portion of the Vision: TEST project involved 
visiting a number of schools and videotaping examples of 
effective use of computer technology in education. These 
schools were recommended by the 15-member Vision: TEST 
Advisory Committee made up of nationally renowned computer 
educators. The resulting videotapes focus on general aspects 
of the introduction of technology into school environments. 
They provide an exciting picture of the potential for 
enhancing education through the use of technology.

Vision: TEST Conference 

On May 14-15, 1990, 50 leading computer-using educators came 
together at three Decision Support Centers in Washington, 
D.C., to participate in a unique computer mediated conference 
to explore the future of educational computing.  The Vision: 
TEST group dealt with such fundamental questions as "What are 
the characteristics of an effective school, and how can 
technology help us develop them?", "What are good measures of 
success in using technology in education?", and "What keeps 
educational administrators from using research to improve 
learning?" 

Vision: TEST Literature Review

A careful survey of the available literature indicates that:

*     Students improve problem-solving skills, outscore 
classmates, and learn more rapidly in a variety of subject 
areas when using technology as compared to conventional 
methods of study.

*     Students find computer based instruction to be more 
motivational, less intimidating, and easier to persist with 
than traditional instruction.

*     In many cases, students' self-esteem was increased when 
they used computers. This change has been most dramatic in 
cases of at-risk and handicapped youngsters.

*     Using technology encourages cooperative learning, turn 
taking among young children, peer tutoring, and other 
valuable social skills.

Significant recurring themes found in the literature suggest 
that:

*     Technology, combined with properly trained teachers, 
offers a dramatic solution to the dropout problem. The 
success of numerous technology-enriched programs suggests 
that we could possibly cut dropout rates at least in half and 
increase the basic-skills levels of our students overall if 
we provide schools with adequate amounts of technology and 
with teachers trained in its uses.

The evidence collected from a variety of sources that 
supports educational improvement through technology is 
compelling:

*     Dr. James Wilsford, Superintendent of the Orangeburg, 
South Carolina Public Schools, has reduced the dropout rate 
at his high school from 34% four years ago to 8% today. He 
attributes the change primarily to the use of technology with 
his at-risk students.

*     Gail Morse, a computer-using teacher who is a Christa 
McAullife Educator at the J.M. Alexander Middle School in 
Columbia, North Carolina, has found significant attitudinal 
changes among her seventh-grade at-risk students. Of a group 
of youngsters who had an almost uniform desire to drop out, 
94% now plan to continue in postsecondary education, and 74% 
of these same at-risk students have made the A or B Honor 
Roll.

*     A group of disadvantaged minority students in grades 1-
3 from Ypsilanti, Michigan, was found by the High/Scope 
Foundation to have substantially improved their scores in 
mathematics,reading, and language after computers were made 
available to them during the school year. 

*     In Burlington, North Carolina, school authorities found 
that their remediation program in language arts was not 
needed after they introduced a computer based language arts 
system into their K-3 program. The remediation program was 
subsequently dropped, producing a significant cost reduction.

*     In Volusia County, Florida, a computer based adult 
literacy program was used with a group of 300 students in 
grades 9-12. Prior to the program, all were reading below the 
sixth-grade ability level. The students in the program were 
able to raise their reading ability levels by an average of 
2.6 years over one school year.

*     In a pilot test, the Options School, run by Ann Lewin, 
Director of the Capitol Children's Museum in Washington, 
D.C., achieved significant improvements in attendance, 
academic performance, and attitude of 100 seventh-grade at-
risk students. Technology plays a prominent role in this 
special program.


The Results

Consultants in the field of educational technology 
participating in the Vision: TEST project agree that there is 
no single, simple solution to our educational ills. However, 
based on the findings of this project and their own expertise 
and experience, they have agreed strongly that:

*     Well-trained teachers making effective use of 
technology offer the capability of dramatically improving the 
learning experiences of all students. 

*     We can substantially reduce the number of dropouts and 
reduce absenteeism if we provide teachers and students with 
technology, training in its use, and challenging, relevant 
curricula.

*     Teachers need substantial training, support, and time 
to integrate technology into their curricula.

*     Business has a strong motivation to improve our 
educational system, a clearly expressed interest in helping 
to modernize and improve it, and the means and experience to 
provide valuable assistance.

*     As a nation, we are spending billions of dollars 
repairing the deficiencies that an inadequate educational 
system has created. These dollars could be redirected to 
provide technology, teacher training, teacher support, and 
better curricula. This will result in significant reductions 
in dropout rates and significantly increase the quality of 
education our young people are receiving.

*     Appropriate use of technology can help us have a system 
of educating our children through which they master the 
basics, become adept at problem solving and critical 
thinking, and become prepared to deal with a lifetime of 
challenging change.


      RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL DECISION MAKERS

Recommendation 1

AS A NATION, THE UNITED STATES MUST RECOGNIZE THE NEED FOR 
IMPROVEMENT IN ITS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND SEIZE THE 
OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY TECHNOLOGY.

Visions:

*     We urge the President to declare the 1990s as The 
Decade of Technology in Education.

*     We urge the Congress to enact legislation that 
substantially increases support for research and development 
efforts in the application of technology in education. The 
legislation must support development of new assessment 
techniques to reflect the new learning that technology 
encourages. This legislation must support improvements in 
teacher education programs, at both the preservice and 
inservice levels.

*     We propose that a National Educational Technology Trust 
Fund analogous to the National Highway Trust Fund be 
established. Revenues from the Fund will be used to ensure 
that no student is denied access to needed technology because 
that student resides in a community with an inadequate local 
tax base. Revenues will also be used to support studies of 
the efficacy of educational technology.

Recommendation 2

AS A NATION, THE UNITED STATES MUST PROVIDE EVERY STUDENT 
WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME WHAT EACH IS CAPABLE OF 
BECOMING. IT MUST PROVIDE EACH STUDENT WITH AN ENVIRONMENT 
THAT IS CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING.

Visions: 

*     Equity
Students in the United States must be guaranteed access to 
educational technology in their educational program whenever 
needed without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, 
socioeconomic status, mental or physical limitations, 
geographic location, or national origin.

*     Curriculum
In order to permit our students and teachers to take maximum 
advantage of technology, the curriculum must change in major 
ways. Technology must be  integrated  into the curriculum 
rather than being a supplement to it.

*     Assessment
Because educational technology opens new worlds of learning, 
permits development of higher-order thinking skills, and 
supports a wide variety of learning styles,  new assessment 
techniques that reflect the new skills and the new learning 
environments must be developed to supplement and finally to 
replace conventional tests.

*     Learning Environments
Learning environments should include access to a wide range 
of technologies and to the entire world of information. The 
environments should offer opportunities for creativity, 
critical thinking, information access and manipulation, 
communication, and multisensory stimulation.

*     At-Risk Students
There should be a strong national focus on using technology 
to reduce substantially the number of at-risk students who 
drop out of school.

*     Student/Computer Ratio
By the year 2000, all students should have continuous access 
to a wide range of technologies that promote learning 
activities.

Recommendation 3

AS A NATION, THE UNITED STATES MUST EMPOWER ALL TEACHERS TO 
PROVIDE THE BEST EDUCATION FOR EVERY STUDENT IN THEIR 
CLASSES.

Visions:

*     A computer on every teacher's desk

*     A computer in the home of every teacher

*     A telephone and modem in every classroom

*     Teacher Support
Every teacher must have direct classroom support related to 
the uses of educational technology.

*     Continuing Professional Development of Teachers
There must be easy access to and strong support for the 
continued professional development of teachers.

*     Preservice Teacher Education
Teacher education programs must be designed to prepare 
prospective teachers to move into classrooms with rich, 
technological support. Federal and state subsidies should be 
provided to establish these programs and to attract the best 
and brightest to them.

Recommendation 4

AS A NATION, THE UNITED STATES MUST REDESIGN ITS SCHOOL 
SYSTEMS TO PREPARE ITS STUDENTS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY.

Visions:

*     Restructuring
Only by restructuring education through the 
applications of technology can we as a nation achieve the 
educational manifesto we all hold for our children.

*     School-Industry Alliances
Because industry has a direct interest in students and 
technology, we encourage school-industry alliances in a 
variety of forms.

*     Communications
A national educational computer-communications network must 
be established to connect all levels of education with all 
facets of society. This would permit collaboration among 
educational fields and allow ready access to information 
sources and expertise in the world community.

*     Distance Learning
Distance learning should be encouraged to 
provide teachers and students with greatly enriched 
educational options while eliminating barriers of time, 
geography, physical limitations, and lack of local expertise.

*     Investment in Technology Equipment
School districts should plan their technology funding on a 
replacement cycle of no more than 5-6 years. This will ensure 
that their students and teachers have access to modern 
equipment that takes advantage of the most recent 
technological developments.

Recommendation 5

AS A NATION, THE UNITED STATES MUST ENSURE 
THAT SCHOOLS ARE MANAGED EFFECTIVELY.

Visions:

*     Student Services
Administrative student support services must be automated.

*     Curriculum Management
Technological solutions should be used to facilitate 
curriculum integration and monitor achievement for all 
students.

*     Business Practice
Effective workplace technologies must be used to support 
school business operations. 

CONCLUSION

Research undertaken by ISTE and other professionals in the 
field of education indicates that our schools can be 
substantially improved through an appropriate restructuring 
process. When the restructuring process involves the 
opportunities that technology offers, dropout rates will be 
reduced, and basic skills and higher-order cognitive skills 
will be increased. Overall, students will be better prepared 
for productive adult citizenry in a rapidly changing society. 


The major conclusions of the Vision: TEST project are:

*     Technology can assist well-trained and well-equipped 
teachers to develop the intellectual potential of all their 
students.

*     Technology, in the hands of trained teachers, is 
especially powerful when used with at-risk students.

*     Teachers are the key to success in any educational 
change. They must be trained, supported, and provided with 
adequate resources in order to be successful in implementing 
new teaching methods.

ISTE pledges, during the years ahead, to lead the effort in 
implementing these recommendations in cooperation with other 
organizations, agencies, and the private sector.

The recommendations put forth by ISTE as part of the Vision: 
TEST project provide guidelines for educators and government 
officials so that they may see to it that all students have 
the opportunity to achieve at levels beyond anything possible 
in conventional classrooms.

TAKING ACTION

President Issue a Presidential Proclamation declaring the 
1990s the Decade of Technology in Education. Be an education 
President.

Congress Ensure that federally funded education programs 
provide equity of access to educational technology for all 
students. Establish a National Educational Technology Trust 
Fund.

National Organizations Make recommendations on effective uses 
of technology to improve education. Disseminate information 
about the Vision: TEST project to your members.

Governors Be an education governor. Host a statewide 
conference focusing on the roles technology can play in 
solving the educational problems of your state.  Insist that 
equity of access to technology be provided to all students 
throughout your state, and facilitate the development of 
mechanisms to support this idea.

Business Leaders Work to establish school/industry alliances 
that will assist schools in making more effective use of 
technology in their business practices. Provide teachers and 
students with the opportunity to learn how your company makes 
effective use of technology.

Superintendents Working with your staff, teachers, parents, 
and local business people, develop a comprehensive plan for 
the thorough integration of technology throughout the 
curriculum.

School Principals Provide leadership in school restructuring 
designed to facilitate modern educational practices and 
appropriate use of technology. Work to empower teachers.

Teachers Begin now to make at least a modest increase in your 
useof technology in your lesson plans and pedagogy. Develop a 
plan whereby you will be more technologically competent to 
meet the needs of your students, and begin to implement this 
plan.

Parents Find out what your children are learning about how to 
use computers, both as an aid to learning and as an aid to 
solving problems in every course they take. Tell the teachers 
and school principal that you want your children to be using 
computers every day to help them get a good education.

Students When computers are available, use them. Ask your 
teachers why you are not learning more about how to use 
computers to solve the types of problems you are studying.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Vision: TEST Project has received support from many 
sources, including: IBM Educational Systems, which provided a 
grant to ISTE to conduct the study, access to three of its 
Decision Support Centers, and support in many other ways, 
both tangible and intangible.

The University of Michigan, which provided access to Confer, 
the telecommunication system that tied together the national 
network of people.

Learning Initiatives International, which provided access to 
its PSINet telecommunications system.

Connors Communications, which provided assistance and 
expertise in letting the public know about Vision: TEST.

For more information, contact :

    ISTE
    1787 Agate Street
    Eugene, Oregon 97403
    Phone: 1.541.346.4414
    Fax: 1.541.346.5890
    E-mail: moursund@oregon.uoregon.edu

For a copy of the Vision: TEST Final Report, send $15.95 to 
the ISTE Order Department at the above address.