Student Access to Digital Learning Resources outside of the Classroom. NCES 2017-098

Educators, policymakers, and parents alike are focused on ensuring the academic success of the nation's students. These efforts interact with the expanding use of technology, which affects the lives of students both inside and outside of the classroom. Thus, the role that technology plays in education is an evolving area of research that continues to grow in importance. While access to technology can provide valuable learning opportunities to students, it does not guarantee successful outcomes. Designing successful practices for student use of technology is but one piece of the puzzle in the continued effort to elevate the educational experiences of all students. Schools, teachers, communities, and families play a critical role in successfully integrating technology into teaching, learning, and assessment. Recent legislation acknowledges the growing role that technology plays in students' daily lives. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides guidance to state governments on how to receive supplemental federal funding for public education. ESSA requests that the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) conduct the following research: (1) An analysis of student habits related to DLR outside of the classroom, including the location and types of devices and technologies that students use for educational purposes; (2) An identification of the barriers students face in accessing DLR outside of the classroom; (3) A description of the challenges that students who lack home internet access face, including challenges related to student participation and engagement in the classroom, and homework completion; (4) An analysis of how the barriers and challenges such students face impact the instructional practices of educators; and (5) A description of the ways in which state education agencies, local education agencies, schools, and other entities, including partnerships of such entities, have developed effective means to address the barriers and challenges students face in accessing DLR outside of the classroom. This report draws upon the most recently available nationally representative data sources, existing research, and relevant state and local intervention efforts to examine the five research areas identified in ESSA, and to provide an overview of student access to DLR outside of the classroom.