Concerns about BCPS’ use of technology in classrooms

Part of the Baltimore County Public Schools $1.5 billion budget that Superintendent Dallas Dance unveiled this week includes $272 million for the STAT program, which will give laptops to all BCPS students. STAT, which stands for Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow, and its price tag will be one of the topics some parents will bring up at the Jan. 12 public-input Board of Education meeting.

Joanne Simpson is a parent who is concerned that BCPS is relying too much on technology in the classrooms. She and other parents spoke at a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, and she said in part, “These children are increasingly glued to screens despite growing evidence this is detrimental, especially, to our littlest learners — who should be conversing, making eye contact, and building tactile interactions. (Though  the  same  goes for all learners.) Now BCPS wants to put 5-year-olds on devices. You are digitizing our children and we have no real say.” Her full comments are available here.

In a follow-up email to the board and Dance, she said, “My hope: If we pull back from the “digital learning environment” and 1:1 [laptops for each student], we have a shot at incorporating a truly directed use of tech that offers the pros, without the cons. Again, as you analyze the proposed budget, I’d urge you to shift funding away from rolling out the program to All elementary schools next year, allowing another year instead to fund and better evaluate the pilot programs, as well as actual learning outcomes in grades 1-3. (And, of course, to openly ask for and listen to the actual experiences of teachers, parents and students). What would be lost by doing things right, especially when putting minds on the line?”

Her husband, Brian Simpson, recently wrote an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun in which he said:

… In September, the intergovernmental Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released a report on technology and education in 65 countries. It found that students (including the economically disadvantaged) “who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes.” Some of the highest performing schools like those in Korea and Shanghai had low rates of digital access. Lead author Andreas Schleicher bluntly told The Washington Post, “We’re at a point where computers are actually hurting learning.” And, in a 2010 study involving North Carolina public school students, two Duke University researchers concluded that, “students who gain access to a home computer between 5th and 8th grade tend to witness a persistent decline in reading and math test scores.” 

No doubt Mr. Dance can point to a few positive studies, but BCPS is also promoting and relying on the dubious “2015 Speak Up Survey.” The online survey is underwritten by tech and education companies like Blackboard, Qualcomm and Rosetta Stone, which have clear profit motives. No surprise: The survey is blatantly biased toward answers that endorse expanded technology. …

For its part, BCPS says STAT “is necessary to provide personalized learning to our increasingly diverse student population at a time when the economy requires more from our students for future success.”

It says STAT benefits include:

• In a learner-centered classroom, teachers are facilitators – or guides – in the learning process. They provide tools and support to each student based on his or her learning needs. As a device becomes available to every student, teachers can provide access to digital resources tailored to students based on their current level of understanding, learning styles, and personal interests. Teachers also provide small group instruction that might provide a different way to learn a complex concept or challenge students to dive deeper.
• The relationship of Equity to S.T.A.T. is a critical one. Baltimore County Public Schools is committed to move teaching and learning into the future by facilitating equitable access for all students regardless of race, special education status, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, English language Learner (ELL) status, or socioeconomic status. In 2014 the Board of Education passed Policy 0100 declaring their commitment to raising achievement for all students and closing achievement gaps. S.T.A.T. is the lever in which BCPS is actualizing that commitment.

Samantha Emminizer, another BCPS parent who lives in the Towson area, is in favor of STAT. 

“Although the cost of this program is high, it is my opinion that it is well worth it! The reality is that our children are growing up in a very technical world, and I’m grateful that Baltimore County is preparing them for it. In addition, my daughter has learned very quickly to be responsible with her device, and has become less likely to misplace things, and or forget them because it has helped develop responsibility with regards to school and home,” she said in a message. “It is my job as a parent to make sure they stay active, and challenge their minds to do physical activities, and learn to appreciate nature etc.”

Another op-ed in the Sun, from Ella and Iven Rusen, that raised concerns about STAT, said in part, “During American Education week, we watched one teacher help 24 first-grade students navigate websites on their tablet computers. … We did not see the children interact with other children during technology use, as described in the literature the county provided; they were wearing headphones, and it would have been difficult for them to talk with one another. The children only interacted with a teacher if they were having difficulty navigating the websites. We have asked if we can bring in a pen that could be used on the tablet to encourage fine muscle control similar to writing but have been told that it does not fit in with the BCPS model. ”

For more information about the public-input meeting on Jan. 12, click here. Another item of concern on the agenda is BCPS’ heat-closure policy, which I’ll tackle in another post. Dance’s contract is also up for renewal.

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