A new survey of teachers and their use of technology suggests there is a clear correlation between hours spent in professional development, classroom integration of technology, and improved student performance.

Technology use by teachers continues to rise, the survey indicates; three out of five teachers said their tech skills were at least "somewhat advanced," four of five think it engages students, and two in three believe it can improve performance. Professional development in the use of technology also is on the rise, according to the survey--though one in five teachers still receives no such training.

Sponsored by CDW-G, a reseller of hardware tools to schools and governments, and administered by education research firm Quality Education Data (QED), the study, called "Teachers Talk Tech 2006: Fulfilling Technology's Promise of Improved Student Performance," polled some 1,000 K-12 public school teachers on technology's role in the classroom. The poll offers an in-depth look at how K-12 teachers use computers in their jobs.

CDW-G said its findings support the need for more federal ed-tech spending, including continued support for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) block-grant program, the largest single source of ed-tech funding in the federal budget--and a program that President Bush has asked Congress to eliminate in 2007.

Although teachers report they are using technology more frequently for both instructional and administrative tasks, they also worry that obstacles such as a lack of access, time, and money are keeping them from integrating technology effectively into the curriculum, the study found.

Bob Kirby, CDW-G's senior director for K-12 education, said technology can be an "empowering tool," depending on who's using it. "Technology is becoming integral to the teaching process, and we're finding it makes the overall process that much better," said Kirby, who called the survey "a tool for teachers to say, 'Here's why I need something like professional development.' ... Anything above eight hours sees a dramatic improvement in comfort levels for teachers."

The survey, now in its fourth year, found technology has changed the way teachers teach "a great deal." In 2004, 40 percent of teachers said their teaching environment had changed. By 2006, 54 percent reported such a shift. Veteran teachers who have been in the profession for at least 10 years have seen technology change the process of teaching, while younger teachers have always had some link to technology, the study found. Researchers interpret these changes to mean that technology is being used and embraced in the classroom.

According to the survey, four out of five teachers indicated that technology is very or somewhat important to teaching. Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed said technology is important to administrative functions such as attendance and grading, while 86 percent agreed it was important to communications with other teachers, administrators, parents, and students.