One Device Per Student Hasn't Lived Up to Its Promise
We were told that giving every student a device would improve learning, close the equity gap, and prepare them for careers in the tech era. It's done the opposite. Test scores have declined. There's no evidence that moving away from pencil and paper has helped economically disadvantaged students. And it turns out that immersing students in online learning denies them the cognitive and interpersonal skills needed in the workplace.
Silicon Valley executives send their children to schools with little or no technology. They know what they're doing. Don't our children deserve the same quality of experience?
It's time to update our understanding of school technology.
AAPS Students Need More Tech Ed and Less EdTech
Our kids need Tech Ed—education in basic technology skills like typing, keyboarding, and creating slides and spreadsheets. They're not getting this.
Instead, they're getting EdTech—educational technology apps that teach math, reading, writing, and Spanish. These apps are often gamified. Research shows they're worse for learning than pencils, paper, textbooks, and live teachers.
It's time to put kids' learning first. This means giving them more true technology education and far less EdTech.
Let's Free Teachers to Teach
Our educators make learning come alive. Their relationships with students are core to everything. But the district has forced them to use expensive technology they didn’t ask for and don’t want. All too often, instead of seeing kids’ faces, they see the backs of laptops. They want to teach but get pulled into tasks like finding lost power cords or monitoring student browsing on Securly.
"In some classrooms, uncharged Chromebooks take up a lot of the teacher's time. Frequently, lesson plans for substitutes require the Chromebook for a large part of the day, multiple children have uncharged Chromebooks, there are not enough extra chargers, and no one knows the correct protocol."
— Teacher, Ann Arbor Public Schools
Our teachers deserve better. Let’s free them to do what they do best: teach.
What AAPS Parents Are Saying
The District's Idea of Innovation is Outdated
District leadership’s desire to innovate with technology is sincere. Unfortunately, it’s using an outdated understanding of what constitutes success. Over the past twenty years, school technologies—and therefore the measures of innovation—have changed dramatically.
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By competing on a playing field that no longer exists, AAPS is losing the trust of families. This affects enrollment as dissatisfied parents move their children to private schools or nearby districts.
“We bought a house in A2 largely because of the schools and are thinking of leaving because of the tech policies here.”
“I moved my kids because of the screens at AAPS. It's awful.”
— AAPS Parent (For Now)
— Former AAPS Parent
AAPS is Behind But Can Catch Up and Lead
Across the country, school districts as large as Los Angeles Unified and as small as Paw Paw, Michigan, are showing us what’s possible when we innovate on today’s terms.
Los Angeles Unified School District:
“Student Screen Time Policy”
LAUSD – the second-largest public school district in the country serving over 520,000 students – passed a new screen time policy:
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Pre-K through 1st grade: Elimination of school-issued devices, zero screen time
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Grades 2 - 5: Moving toward shared laptop carts and computer labs, limits screen time to 20-30 minutes per day
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Elementary and middle school: No device use at lunch or recess unless for approved work
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Calls for prioritizing teacher-led instruction over using ed-tech platforms for learning
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Encourages off-screen homework options that prioritize writing, problem-solving, and hands-on activities whenever possible in elementary and middle school
“Disconnect to Reconnect”
Paw Paw, Michigan:
This district of 2,100 students ended its 1:1 device policy. Students now access Chromebooks on carts only when assigned in a class and return them to the carts when done.
Technology is part of life. We want technology in schools to be intentional, age-appropriate, and genuinely in service of learning.
Come Find Your People
Wherever you are in your family’s journey with technology — you belong here.