CCT worked with Mathematica Policy Research, the American Institutes for Research, and the Institute for Education Sciences to design a study on the effectiveness of educational technology, a research effort mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The design team, led by Mark Dynarski director of the Education Policy group at Mathematica, is working with a national technical advisory group made up of academic researchers, educational technology proponents, and state policy makers to develop the study, which will focus on three main research questions.

1. Can student academic outcome measures be improved through the use of technology applications?
2. Which conditions and practices are necessary and sufficient to realizing improvements in student academic outcomes?
3. Which conditions and practices support effective applications?

This study design will help the Institute for Education Sciences set criteria for study candidate selection, identify key research questions that will frame the study, and advise on statistical design considerations.

The U.S. Department of Education has just released the papers that came out of this research work. They are as follows:

• Background Materials: PDF
• Considerations for Designing the Study: PDF
• Issues and Recommendations for the Study by Mathematica: PDF Word
• Program and Staff Listing: PDF Word