Over the last decade, the number of one-to-one laptop programs in U.S. schools has steadily increased. Though technology advocates believe that such programs can assist student writing, there has been little systematic evidence for this claim, and even less focused on technology use by at-risk learners. This study examined the effect of daily access to laptops on the writing outcomes and processes of 2,158 upper elementary students in two school districts, and the effect among diverse students. In a California district, students showed improved English language arts achievement in both a partial laptop program year and a full laptop program year. In a Colorado district, overall writing test score gains were not statistically significant; however in both districts, at-risk student groups (i.e., Hispanics and low-income learners) showed significant gains. In addition, survey results, interviews, and observations indicate that at-risk learners used the laptops more frequently than their counterparts at school for a variety of learning purposes. This study suggests that well-planned use of laptops and digital media can help diverse learners improve their literacy processes and outcomes.

This article analyzes the impact of upper elementary students’ individual use of netbook computers on their writing processes and outcomes in two mediumsized school districts that implemented technology-intensive writing curricula. Our study examines the overall effects of the programs on writing and literacy achievement as well as the particular impact on the major groups of at-risk learners in the two districts, which include Hispanics, students from low-income families, and English language learners.