During the last decades, considerable resources have been invested in hardware, software, connections, training and support with the aim of improving the quality of school teaching and learning. A major tenet of the policies that supported the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education was that they can become catalysts for change. Undoubtedly, some countries have made good progress in bringing networked ICT into education and making it possible for teachers and learners to use them on a daily basis. However, in many cases implementation policies have not been a consequence of systematic analysis and reflection, and in general terms, we still know little about the impact and effectiveness of ICT in education. To close this gap the Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning based on benchmarks and indicators (CRELL) established a research project on measuring ICT performance and effectiveness in education. The project explores the effects of ICT on learning outcomes aiming at stimulating debate on educational policy needs. This paper presents the first step in the process. It presents a conceptual framework to guide the analysis for orienting work activity towards the study of ICT effectiveness.