The Article “Integrating Educational Technology to Address Disparities in Education:

Implications for School Social Work” addresses educational disparity and the use of technology
based interventions to close the achievement gap. After 2001, 12 studies were conducted in the
United States examining the effects of educational technology on academic achievement. The
purpose of this study was to review the findings of current literature by analyzing and describing
the applications currently being used in primary and secondary schools and to synthesize data to
make the results, or evidence, more available to teachers and school decision makers.
For the current study, a comprehensive search was conducted to find relevant literature to
analyze. This literature was assessed using a 27 point checklist and 4 part flowchart known as the
PRISMA framework, as well as the PICO framework.. There were 527 studies labeled for
potential inclusion, after duplicates and inapplicable articles were removed, 52 articles were read
in full. The 12 articles deemed appropriate for inclusion all met the following criteria: Evaluation
studies with a focus on any type of educational technology, students in grades K-12 were
involved, aimed at improving student academic performance, studies took place in 2001 or more
recently, were in the United States and had reports available in English, and evaluation data were
provided. The studies were analyzed and compared using the Covidence reference software
program (Rogers, 2021)
The results of the 12 studies reviewed were mixed. 6 of the studies demonstrated a
significant impact of educational technology on student learning. One of these six highlighted an
even larger impact on language minority students and students receiving special education
services. Of the other 6, 5 studies showed that educational technology apps did not have a
statistically significant impact on student achievement, and one that cited a positive, but small
impact. The biggest takeaways from the comparison of results is that though there seems to be a
positive correlation between educational technology and student achievement, regardless of its
statistical significance, it could be said that not all approaches to educational technology yield
the same results and not all students learn better with technology under all conditions. In order to
explain the differences in findings, the researchers then examined and compared the research
design, sample characteristics, type of intervention employed, program duration and intensity,
measurement instrument, and conceptual framework. The authors point out that it is important to
know the overall impact of educational technology on student learning, but that different
components such as apps and interventions should be studied alongside teaching methods
integrating technology to measure what specific components have the greatest impact and how to
best combine elements to maximize performance.
We have assumed for some time that educational technology improves student learning,
but according to this study, the data is inconsistent and does not fully back this. The author
suggests that rigorous research is needed to help educators better understand the benefits of and
to use it with fidelity. The suggestion is that new studies consider the quality of the apps being
used, how, by whom , and under what conditions. It is also necessary to consider the teachers
comfort and familiarity with technology in the classroom. It also is stated that the previous
studies focused solely on academic achievement, but the author feels that in order to better
understand the full benefits of educational technology, there are other student growth areas that
should be assessed as well.
The author concludes by speaking on the need for school social workers to recognize the
important interventions that can be delivered using educational technology, pointing out the
technological disparities between affluent and poor schools. Without equal access, we can not
get clear data on this topic and there is a disservice to student learning. The article is closed with
suggestions on ways to advocate for access to technology for your students, including
community partnerships.
I agree with the overall consensus of this article, but also must say that it leaves me with
more questions than answers. It is impossible to draw clear connections from 12 different studies
operating under different sets of parameters with different resources and even different
classroom facilitation expectations. It is spot on that educational technology is a situation where
student success largely depends on access to resources and well trained teachers. I agree that new
studies could be beneficial to this topic. There are so many resources for students and educators
that could be combined or used in specific ways that would be really powerful for student
achievement, so the question becomes how do we study them and figure out what works best?
Then we also have to recognize that the answer to this question will not be the same for every
student. This is a place where it becomes apparent that individualized learning is a necessity in
today's classroom. As an educator I feel that it is important to advocate for student needs when
you see them, I like how the article ends with suggestions on ways to potentially secure
technology for students who are in need.
 This study and article are inline with ISTE Education Leader Standard 3.1, Equity and
digital citizenship, especially 3.1.b, “Ensure all students have access to the technology and
connectivity necessary to participate in authentic and engaging learning opportunities.” and
3.1.c, “Model digital citizenship by critically evaluating online resources, engaging in civil
discourse online and using digital tools to contribute to positive social change.” as the issue of
student access is addressed, but then the entire article focuses on the critical evaluation of
sources and suggests using tools to inspire change by advocating for student needs. ("ISTE",
2022)

References
ISTE. (2022). Retrieved 3 August 2022, from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-
for-education-leaders

Rogers, K. (2021). Integrating Educational Technology to Address Disparities in Education:

Implications for School Social Work. Children &Amp; Schools, 43(4), 225-233. doi:
10.1093/cs/cdab021