What is the biggest national issue in education technology today?
A. One huge issue is how we’re evaluating the effectiveness of technology in schools. We’re publishing studies in the national press that don’t truly reflect the impact of technology in the classroom. We need to measure the effectiveness of the implementation before we try to measure the results. For instance, we need to look at how well people are using it, how much time is being spent with it, and whether teachers have the appropriate training and management skills to maximize its use. The other point to consider is what we are measuring the technology against. One third of our high school students are dropping out—a higher number than ever before. So why aren’t we measuring the effectiveness of textbooks? Q. What programs, initiatives, or people are making the biggest difference right now? A. Curriculum management systems are driving changes in pedagogy. We use SchoolNet, which helps our teachers look at trends and patterns for their students and better customize learning for them.
