A comparative study of mathematics achievement through the use of technology in Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant and non-grant school districts in Kentucky

The Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Act makes funding available for elementary and secondary school districts with the primary goal of improving students' academic achievement through the use of technology. The main purpose of this comparative analysis study is to show the impact of EETT competitive grants on mathematics achievement scores in elementary and secondary schools. A second purpose is to show the connection between effective use of technology and students' achievement in mathematics. Participants of this study included 162 of the school districts in Kentucky. This study utilized the comparative-analysis approach to examine archival data within the context of Data Summary Reports conducted by the Center for Research in Education Policy (CREP), Kentucky Performance Reports, and Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) School Report Cards results, along with state and national reports on technology education. The Formative Evaluation Process for School Improvement (FEPSI) Data Summary Reports used in this study consisted of the School Observation Measure (SOM) instrument and the Survey of Computer Use (SCU) instrument, both developed by the CREP. The researcher conducted both inferential and descriptive data analyses. The researcher used a 1-tail, 2-sample t-test to determine whether the gain scores for each group was different. The researcher used a 1-way ANOVA for differences among means to determine whether the gain scores among the groups was different. Descriptive analysis determined whether or not the data showed a relationship between specific items. Finally, the researcher used a qualitative narrative to interpret literature/research that supports the findings of this study. The results indicated that there was not enough evidence to state that EETT grant school districts had higher average CATS mathematics scores than the non-grant school districts. Differences between grant vs. non-grant schools within each round resulted in similar conclusions. This research will provide teachers and administrators data on research-based instructional methods and best practices in schools that integrate technology across the curriculum and have shown promising results in increasing students' mathematics achievement, using technology that can be widely implemented in elementary and secondary schools.