In recent years, interest in increasing the use of technology in
elementary and secondary education has grown. Numerous
initiatives- both public and private- have provided discounted
or free computers and Internet access to schools and have
encouraged the provision of technology-focused teacher
professional development and training (Trotter 1999). These
initiatives were predicated on the expectation that the use of
technology in education can lead to a number of beneficial
outcomes. In Getting America's Students Ready for the 21st
Century, for example, the U. S. Department of Education (1996)
asserts that technology has the potential to enhance the
achievement of all students, increase families' involvement in
their children's schooling, improve teachers' skills and
knowledge, and improve school administration and management. To
track changes in the availability of and access to technology,
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) since 1994
has conducted a series of surveys of public and private e