IT Fluency and High School Graduation Outcomes

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Center for Education and the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council explore the components of fluency in information and communications technology (ICT) that all high school students should know and be able to do. The study builds upon an earlier NRC report published in 1999, "Being Fluent with Information Technology," in which ICT competencies for undergraduate students were presented. The exploration, guided by a planning committee with expertise in a variety of related areas, takes place within a workshop discussing commissioned papers and workshop presentations. The commissioned papers consider the ICT competencies required in the workplace and in day-to-day functioning of all people, now and in the foreseeable future. The workshop considers how to update the earlier report and identifies the most promising current efforts to develop ICT competencies in high schools. The report not only considers current skill acquisition, but also the underlying ICT competencies and intellectual capabilities that can be developed to manage complexity, solve problems, and think critically, creatively and systematically. The report provides a roadmap to connect academic content and information with communications technology. By exploring what is known and what remains to be known about ICT literacy for high school students, the workshop report informs educational policy makers and faculty in high schools, community colleges and undergraduate settings as they consider instructional priorities.