History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Questioning our mania for education technology
- 10-04-2011
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Commentary by Jack Schneider/Education Week
Jack Schneider is the Robert A. Oden Jr. postdoctoral fellow for innovation in the liberal arts at Carleton College, in Northfield, Minn.
The solution to the nation’s education problems is as simple as binary code: a smartboard in every classroom, an iPad in every backpack, and wikis across the curriculum. That seems to be how the logic works these days, as reformers in foundations, government, and school districts pour billions into educational technology projects. There’s only one problem: It doesn’t work. A recent front-page story in The New York Times on the Kyrene school district in Tempe, Ariz., is the latest tale of heavy investment and slender results. Since 2005, the district has invested roughly $33 million in technology, using money secured under a ballot initiative. But even as statewide scores have risen, Kyrene’s scores in reading and math have stalled. And how have district leaders responded? They’re ready to head back and ask taxpayers for more. (more...)
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