Natick High School re-opened its doors in September 2012 as one of the region’s most technology rich high school campuses, providing 1:1 computers to all students and other state-of-the-art digital teaching and learning resources.

Beginning in September 2012, Boston College researchers have partnered with Natick Public School staff to develop surveys and other research-based tools to document and quantify the extent and ways students and teachers are incorporating digital teaching and learning tools across the curriculum.

Over the course of the 2012-2013 school year, students and teachers will systematically reflect on their teaching and learning practices through online surveys, focus groups, as well as informal classroom observations.  Through these efforts, the research team will document the extent that different digital teaching and learning resources are leveraged across the curriculum and the upper grade levels of Natick Public Schools. 

Practices observed and recorded during the 2012-2013 year across grade levels and subject areas will be compared to past levels (recorded in a 2010 student survey) and shared with school and community leadership.

In addition to documenting the range of practices afforded through the new facilities and resources, the evaluation will have the potential in summer and fall 2012 to further examine the impacts of these emerging practices on a wide range of student outcomes including student achievement, behavior, and course taking patterns.

Natick High school

Wilson Middle School

Kennedy Middle School

Student Videos About Using Technology in School

Boston College researchers evaluate Natick laptop program
(Apr 5, 2013 MetroWest Daily News)

Districts place high priority on 1-to-1 computing
(Mar 11, 2013 Education Week)

Natick boards look to go digital, save paper
(Dec 10, 2012 MetroWest Daily News)

Natick students creating robot to help in ice rescues
(Nov 19, 2012 MetroWest Daily News)

All of Natick's high schoolers, eighth graders to get MacBooks
(Apr 8, 2011 boston.com)