The Secret Behind School Boards Buying Technologies

Too often, neither research findings nor evaluation data including test scores guide most major policy decisions. Political and practical reasons do. Consider the case of classroom technology. Politically smart state and local policymakers have believed since the 1980s–-here is where ideology enters the picture–-that buying computers, laptops, and tablets loaded with software, deploying them to K-12 classrooms, and watching how the devices engage both teachers and students will produce desirable classroom outcomes; it is considered “best practice” because, well, “we believe in it.” The theory is (and has been) that student engagement with electronic devices and their software will dramatically alter classroom instruction and lead to improved achievement. The problem, of course (you no doubt have guessed where I am going with this) — is that evidence of these devices transforming teaching practices and raising test scores is not only sparse but also unpersuasive even when some studies…