US Schools Reverse Tech-First Policies Amidst Declining Student Performance

Schools across the United States are beginning to reverse years of technology-first educational policies, acknowledging that the widespread integration of screens and devices in classrooms has negatively impacted student learning and behavior. McPherson Middle School in Kansas, for example, initially banned cell phones four years ago but only in December of last year did it ask its 480 students to surrender their school-issued Google Chromebooks. Administrators discovered that without their phones, students were using the school laptops for non-educational distractions like watching YouTube or playing games, and some even used school Gmail accounts for cyberbullying. The school has since shifted to using laptops only for specific, teacher-assigned tasks, with students reverting to pen and paper for note-taking. Principal Inge Esping stated that technology is a tool, not the solution to education, and students can borrow Chromebooks from the library for supplementary work. This trend is mirroring similar reconsiderations in states like North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Michigan, where schools are re-evaluating the significant financial investments in 1:1 laptop programs. Studies and reports indicate that the implementation of technology in schools has coincided with either stagnant or declining student test scores. Maine, an early adopter of a statewide laptop initiative in 2002, did not see improvements in its test scores after 15 years, according to an NPR report in 2017. Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath has also testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, noting a decrease in math and science scores following the introduction of classroom technology.