The Technology Factor: Nine Keys to Student Achievement and Cost ...

14 Chapter 3: Major Findings
Copying and paperwork expenses. Project RED estimates that 1:1
high schools with a properly implemented Learning Management
System (LMS) could cut their copy budgets in half. Labor accounts for
roughly 50% of the total cost. Assuming the cost of a copy machine is
$100,000 per year for a 1,500-student high school, on a national basis
this equates to savings of $739 million a year for high schools alone.
Instructional materials. �e use of instructional materials can be tied
to student performance over large sample sizes, so that educators can
identify what works for which populations and deploy the most
effective materials on a student-by-student basis.
Dropout rate. One broad financial impact of technology is a reduction
in dropout rates. �e huge economic cost of dropouts is well known, 3
but 1:1 schools are cutting the dropout rate and impacting state
revenues as well as local costs.
�e greatest financial benefit results from the difference in lifetime tax
revenues between a dropout, a high school graduate, and a college
graduate. On average, these additional tax revenues range from
$448,000 (females) to $874,000 (males). 4
If 25% of those dropouts graduated from high school and 25% of
those graduated from college, the increase in tax revenues would be
$77 billion per year per graduating class. �e aggregate positive
financial impact of all students a�er 40 years of changed schools
would be $77 billion times 40 years or three trillion dollars a year.
Systems cost reductions. Post-survey interviewees o�en report that
another cost issue is the number of duplicate or redundant systems in
districts. While Project RED did not measure this factor, we believe
that very few districts have one single data entry source. �e cost of
redundant data entry, data cleaning, redundant so�ware packages, and
associated training and support is substantial.
3 Belfield, Clive & Levin, Henry M., 2007.
4 Ibid.
The Technology Factor: Nine Keys to Student Achievement and Cost-Effectiveness
Finding 3: 1:1 schools employing key
implementation factors outperform all schools
and all other 1:1 schools.
A 1:1 student-computer ratio has a higher impact on student outcomes
and financial benefits than other ratios, and the key implementation
factors (KIFs) increase both benefits.
Evidence supporting the third Project RED hypothesis: Continuous
access to a computing device for every student leads to increased
academic achievement and financial benefits, especially when
technology is properly implemented.
In general, respondents say that schools with a 1:1 student-computer
ratio outperform non-1:1 schools on both academic and financial
measures, but Chart 3.3 illustrates a more interesting finding—the
positive impact of the top four KIFs (see Finding 1):
• Intervention classes that use technology in every class period
• Principal leading change management training at least monthly
• Online collaboration among students daily
• Core curriculum using technology at least weekly
In light of the national agenda for education reform, the 31-point
difference in dropout rate reduction, the large reduction in
disciplinary action, and the large improvement in high-stakes test
scores are particularly significant.
Finding 3 illustrates that properly implemented 1:1 schools are well
positioned to enjoy substantial improvement in the education success
measures (ESMs), as well as positive financial benefits. �ese findings,
while significant, would probably improve if schools were willing to
re-engineer their academic processes to exploit the availability of 1:1
computing, matching the benefits experienced in other segments of
the economy.