In the first formal evaluation of the troubled iPads-for-all project in Los Angeles schools, only one teacher out of 245 classrooms visited was using the costly online curriculum. The reason, according to the report, was related to the program’s ambition, size, and speed.
The analysis found that district staff members were so focused on distributing devices that little attention was paid to using iPads effectively in the classroom.
The review, conducted by a nine-member team from the Washington-based American Institutes for Research, offers a sharp contrast to early pronouncements from the Los Angeles Unified district on the $1.3 billion effort. Superintendent John Deasy had labeled the project “an astonishing success,” and officials had faulted media reports for suggesting otherwise.
