Evaluating the effects of introduction of computers in Brazilian public schools

This paper analyzes the effects of using computers and other information and communication technologies in schools. For this, we evaluate the first stage of a program that distributed computers and other computer accessories and trained teachers from schools belonging to municipalities with low HDI. We estimate the program's impact on student performance variables and school resources variables. As a result, we find that despite the significant increase in access to computer and science labs by participant schools, the program's impact in the short term is negative on performance of students of grades 4th and 8th. However, for students in 4th grade, this negative result is smaller over time, indicating that there seems to be a long term positive effect, although small, between younger children and exposed to new information technologies. This result is not found for the 8th grade, where we find long-term outcomes null or negative, indicating that older children, when exposed to information technology in schools, do not exhibit learning gains.