Invited to speak to Congress, in June 2009 about the role technology plays in school reform and innovation, students and educators from several different states shared stories about the ways in which their schools have changed as a result of innovative technology initiatives.

Jennifer Bergland, CTO of Bryan Independent School District in Texas, with testimony about her district's one-to-one computer program and its impact on attendance and test scores. The Bryan school district has over 15,000 students, 71 percent of whom receive free or reduced lunches and 61 percent of whom are considered at-risk. Bergland spoke to the role that technology has played in motivating "at risk" students and keeping them engaged in their school work. She stressed the importance of the one-to-one laptop program where students take their computer home because that extension means that the learning period extends beyond the school walls. "When each student is issued a laptop, the learning is extended beyond the school day…The students quite often create their own teachable moment."

A closer look at one Bryan middle school that has been involved with one-to-one laptop learning for the past five years showed the following results:

• Increased achievement scores;
• Reduction in discipline referrals;
• Increased teacher retention;
• Increased technical proficiency for both teachers and students.

Additional testimony was provided by: the CTO of the White House Office for Science and Technology, a student from East Carolina University, a teacher from Gaithersburg Middle School in Maryland, and representatives from the Delaware Center for Educational Technology, Discovery Education, and Educate Online Learning.

Source: The Future of Learning: How Technology is Transforming Public Schools.