Get Tech Out of Schools

In a few years, the greatest disparity in American education won’t be rich versus poor or black versus white but low-tech versus high-tech schools. Affluent families will cough up tuition to secure a school with paper and pencils, in-person discussions, and hard-copy books for their children. Meanwhile, the rest of American children will spend their school days clicking through online learning platforms.

Indeed, surveys find that students already spend at least one hour of class time on screens per day, with 27 percent of students spending five hours staring into Chromebooks and iPads at school. Seeing as the average school day runs for 6.8 hours — if you factor in passing time, lunch, and recess — that means over a quarter of students spend almost the entirety of their instructional time on a device.

About the Author

Daniel Buck

Daniel Buck is a research fellow and the director of the Conservative Education Reform Network at the American Enterprise Institute.

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In a few years, the greatest disparity in American education won’t be rich versus poor or black versus white but low-tech versus high-tech schools. Affluent families will cough up tuition to secure a school with paper and pencils, in-person discussions, and hard-copy books for their children. Meanwhile, the rest of American children will spend their school days clicking through online learning platforms.

Indeed, surveys find that students already spend at least one hour of class time on screens per day, with 27 percent of students spending five hours staring into Chromebooks and iPads at school. Seeing as the average school day runs for 6.8 hours — if you factor in passing time, lunch, and recess — that means over a quarter of students spend almost the entirety of their instructional time on a device.