The Paper and Packaging Board recently released a national study surveying 3,200 students, parents and educators and found that despite the increase of technology in the classroom, paper has staying power.

The report, titled the 2015 Annual Back-to-School Report, found that not only do a majority of students carry paper products, they prefer them as well.

"[M]ore than 90 percent of students carry paper items every day. 94 percent of students say it's easier to concentrate while reading a paper copy than a digital version," the Board said in a statement.

The report also suggested that the increase of digital technology has not diminished the importance of learning on paper, but rather has made it stronger.

It found that "80 percent of K-12 teachers say their students comprehend information better when they read on paper," in part because "'[p]rint is tailor-made for helping us read continuously, concentrate, puzzle out concepts and contemplate the significance of what we have read,'wrote Dr. Naomi Baron, professor of linguistics and research contributor to the 2015 Annual Back-to-School Report," the company's statement said.

The report also found that print has solidified its importance in the classroom because students will not multitask or get distracted as easily with print learning materials versus digital ones.

"'With the advent of so much technology that makes learning more interactive and vibrant, we forget that sometimes the best way to remember things is by simply writing them down,' wrote 2012 National Teacher of the Year, Rebecca Mieliwocki...'Unlike typing, the act of writing down information increases retention of that information and stores more of it into working and long-term memory,'" said the statement.

Read the full report here and comment with your thoughts below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

08/04/2015