Promising Practices: A Literature Review of Technology Use by Underserved Students

How can technologies and digital learning experiences be used to support underserved, under-resourced, and underprepared students?

For many years, educators, researchers, and policy makers looking for strategies to close the achievement gap and improve student learning have sought solutions involving new uses of technology, especially for students considered to be at risk of failing. However, the results of various technology initiatives for these students have been mixed. As often as not, the introduction of technology into classrooms has failed to achieve the grand expectations proponents anticipated. The educational landscape is replete with stories and studies about how specific student populations were unable to benefit from particular innovations that feature the use of technology for teaching and learning.

This report summarizes research findings about the conditions and practices that support positive outcomes of technology use for these student populations. Related to technology specifically, we find that:

1. Underserved students benefit from opportunities to learn that include one-to-one access to devices.
2. High-speed Internet access is needed to prevent user issues when implementing digital learning.
3. Underserved students benefit from technology interactions designed to promote high levels of interactivity and emphasize discovery.
4. Successful digital learning environments are characterized by the right blend of teachers and technology.

With regard to the conditions and practices that support learning by this population, we find that:

1. Underserved students benefit from learning activities that focus on the development of higher order thinking skills (such as problem solving, making inferences, analyzing, and synthesizing) and 21^st century skills.
2. Underserved students benefit from learning activities that draw on culture and community, specifically activities that integrate culturally relevant practices, foster student development of expertise, and highlight this expertise by providing opportunities for students to share their knowledge and skills with authentic audiences.
3. Underserved students benefit from learning activities that provide them with opportunities to drive their own learning. This includes activities that allow students to become content creators.