Technology Can Transform Schools

But it will take more than entrepreneurship to do it.

By Henry Kelly

The U.S. Department of Education’s recent report to Congress on the effectiveness of reading and mathematics software products sounded a wake-up call to anyone pondering technology in education. ( "Major Study on Software Stirs Debate," April 11, 2007.) Its authors conclude that math and reading software produce no better test results than conventional teaching methods.

How can a technology that is transforming the way we acquire information throughout the economy—revolutionizing businesses from games to banking—fail to benefit education? How can technology revolutionizing training in the U.S. Department of Defense fizzle in elementary schools?

The Education Department report is not evidence that technology cannot be a powerful learning tool. It proves only that results on standardized tests are not significantly improved by systems found in a sample set of schools. Moreover, the study focused on whether the technology was better than traditional teaching methods, failing to consider new technology as a productivity tool. Yet its authors admit that the study produced results no worse than for traditional teaching, and that 86 percent to 92 percent of the teachers in the program found the software sufficiently useful to keep using it. Clearly, these teachers perceive a value not...