MEDIA ADVISORY FOR
March 9, 2018
For more information contact:
Carol Burris, NPE Executive Director
718-577-3276
cburris@networkforpubliceducation.org
Kew Gardens, New York – Today the Network for Public Education (NPE) released a new report, Online Learning: What Every Parent Should Know, in response to the growing dependence on technology in K-12 education. Schools are increasingly implementing digital instruction, often requiring that students use online programs and apps as part of their classwork. Many students even attend a virtual, full-time charter school, never meeting teachers or classmates face to face.
Yet there is scant evidence of educational technology’s success and growing concerns regarding its negative impact. This guide presents a frank assessment of the intended and unintended consequences of online learning in K-12 school and offers questions parents should ask principals if their child’s school adopts computerized programs to deliver instruction, assessment or behavior management.
Rachel Stickland, Co-Chair of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, had the following to say about the report: “NPE’s Online Learning report is essential reading for anyone questioning the research behind the national push toward digital education. With this report in hand, parents can discuss their concerns with online learning confidently with school leadership – whether it’s the lack of evidence showing that it actually works, the political and moneyed interests advancing it, or how it places student privacy at risk.”
Dr. Faith Boninger of the University of Colorado Boulder researches and writes about commercial activities in schools. Commenting on the importance of the report she said, “As much as companies are eager to sell digital technology to schools, and schools are eager to increase children’s achievement, research does not support claims that shifting to digital educational platforms achieves the desired goals. What a growing body of research does indicate, however, is that excessive computer use by children leads to negative health effects such as vision and sleeping problems, social-emotional disturbance, and addiction to digital devices. NPE’s report on on-line learning is an important, timely, resource for parents. In plain language, its review of what we know about online learning shows that parents would do well to not accept promises or bland reassurances, but rather be extremely skeptical consumers. Armed with this report, parents will be able to ask administrators the very hard questions that must be answered adequately in order to justify the use of digital technologies to teach children.”
The 18-page guide is a parent-friendly review of the research on virtual schools, online courses, blended learning and behavior management apps. It also includes a discussion of the student privacy issues that arise when highly sensitive personal student data is collected by online programs and then distributed to third-party vendors without parent knowledge or consent.
The guide’s harshest criticism is reserved for virtual charter schools, whose academic ineffectiveness, coupled with fraudulent attendance practices, resulted in NPE’s recommendation that parents refrain from enrolling their children in online charters.
Based on the report’s findings, NPE President Diane Ravitch advises parents to “be wise consumers.” According to Ravitch, “Technology can be used creatively in the classroom by well-prepared teachers. But most of what is sold as ‘digital learning‘ is a sham that allows vendors to mine student data. Worse, online charter schools are educationally worthless. Students learn best when there is human interaction between teachers and students and among students. Parents must beware of false promises by profiteers.”
Online Learning: What Every Parent Should Know is available online at https://networkforpubliceducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Online-Learning-What-Every-Parent-Should-Know.pdf.
The Network for Public Education (NPE) was founded in 2013 by Diane Ravitch and Anthony Cody. Its mission is to protect, preserve, promote, and strengthen public schools for both current and future generations of students. We share information and research on vital issues that concern the future of public education. For more information, please visit: networkforpubliceducation.org.
Cross posted at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/IMPORTANT–Network-for-Pu-in-General_News-Diane-Ravitch_Education-K-12_Education-Technology_Educational-Crisis-180309-825.html#comment692468
With this comment (which has embedded links at the above address)
Public schools are under attack and ‘tech’ is being sold as the magic elixir (no evidence required) https://www.opednews.com/articles/Magic-Elixir-No-Evidence-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-130312-433.html but the human child’s brain needs a real teacher to help acquire authentic thinking skills.
Don’t be fooled by Orwellian labels like “Personalized Learning.”
Larry Cuban posted that article by Benjamin Herold, https://larrycuban.wordpress.com
who writes for Education Week about technology, on his blog. The term “personalized learning” has been captured by the technology industry to represent computer-based instruction. Some people think it would be justifiable to refer to computer-based instruction as “depersonalized learning” since a computer is a machine and not a person.
Tom Ultican left the high-tech industry to teach math and physics in high school in California. He reports with outrage that the 2015 education law called the Every Student Succeeds Act is larded with millions of dollars for the tech industry. He reviews the evidence and can’t find support for this massive investment in digital learning. The tech lobby prevailed in Washington, D.C. https://tultican.com/2017/10/05/personalized-and-blended-learning-are-money-grabs/
Nancy E. Bailey writes here about current efforts to put children with disabilities on a computer and call it “personalized learning” and “inclusion.” It is neither.
https://nancyebailey.com/2017/06/24/personalized-learning-is-not-inclusion/
Online Learning …. that SCREEN again. I have seen right before my own eyes, people going down that “rabbit hole” and becoming upset and angry over time and many don’t know what is happening to them.
This may be related to Diane’s post. Does anyone know about Atlanta’s Deputy Supt. Rob Anderson and Ohio’s school district CEO Krish Mohip?
BVPS has two finalists for Superintendent: Atlanta school district deputy superintendent Rob Anderson and Ohio school district CEO Krish Mohip
Both talked about closing the achievement gap. Should I be worried?
The achievement gap is created by poverty, segregation, and racism. How do they plan to address those?
GREAT REPORT! Thank you, Diane and NPE.
Racial and Gender BIAS re: ONLINE Education…
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/03/08/study-finds-evidence-racial-and-gender-bias-online-education
Reblogged this on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé and commented:
Online learning comes with risks and few know how much a child actually learns. Mounting evidence is also revealing that too much screen time damages a child’s brain and ability to think.
Is this report, or another resource on the topic of online education, available in Spanish?
Will let you know
Sadly, the online report is not available in Spanish. If you go to the NPE website, Johanna Garcia videotaped her critique of testing in both English and Spanish.
Thank you! This must be the video you’re referencing, it is great: https://networkforpubliceducation.org/2018/03/10290/
I hope it will be possible for NPE to do something in Spanish regarding online education soon. I have a friend who only speaks Spanish, this semester she allowed her high school student daughter to leave a public magnet school and study online instead. I tried to talk her out of it, but my Spanish isn’t strong enough to get into the details.
The link for the report appears to be broken. I was interested in reading it but it did not pop up.
By the way, Last Tree Laws is seeking support for a testimonial open letter on the topic online, to promote legislation. Your signature would be welcome. The website is LastTreeLaws dot com, and the specific page is /school-tech-limits.html
Just received an e-mail from our school with a link to the SAT/PSAT administrators : https://pages.collegeboard.org/sat-covid-19-updates.
What struck me were these sentences under the subheading: future testing: “…..In the unlikely event that schools do not reopen this fall, College Board will provide a digital SAT for home use, like how we’re delivering digital exams to 3 million AP students this spring. As we’re doing with at-home Advanced Placement exams, we would ensure that at-home SAT testing is simple, secure and fair, accessible to all, and valid for use in college admissions.
Like the paper test, a digital, remote version of the SAT would measure what students are learning in school and what they need to know to be successful in college.”
Which basically says to me that the background of a child taking these tests will be even more influential in their ability to take the tests. And that someone with a large screen, a laptop, the ability to retreat to a secluded space to take the test, and good WiFi connection will be compared with someone, with shotty at best connection, no privacy or quiet area, and a loaned or old computer…how is that “fair”…..or equitable in any way?