FYI from BSF, 3.27.20
Some things we have read through recently...
Connection?
The first Net Day was March 9, 1996 - a large-scale mobilization and media day when schools were physically connected to the internet.
Yes, that is the former President and the Vice President of the United States running cable; those two same men pledged that same year to put a computer in every classroom. The proposed cost at the time was $2B.
24 years later, we have replaced a computer in every classroom with a computer in every kitchen.
“Chromebooks” have replaced “super information highway” for ed tech shorthand.
The introduction of technology to reduce equity gaps is certainly not new. That is why Gutenberg’s printing press reached such prominence, and how the television program Sesame Street was born.
There are questions for how laptops were quickly deployed in Boston schools. One certainly can’t question the commitment of and risk to educators, particularly when possibly the first PK-12 staff member succumbed to COVID-19 in this week in New York.
But there are other questions we must ask.
Does technology, itself, close the gaps? Or does it widen them, as implied in this Twitter thread from a prominent education writer? Especially given research on interrupted learning.
Why did a crisis, not a strategy, precipitate tools for remote learning? The digital divide between high/low income families and affluent/urban or rural communities existed for some time before COVID-19.
Technology is a means - not an end. Chromebooks and wireless internet don’t replace learning; they facilitate it. If schools and school districts didn’t have the tools, they also didn’t have a process - how will teachers and students actually use them? The state released guidance, but this is still being negotiated in Boston and in other communities.
Will this even work? At best, student learning improvements from technology are highly, highly contingent on implementation and practice. Other research indicates a weak connection between technology access and student outcomes.
Following Net Day and a computer in every classroom, there was no measurable improvement in 4th math or science for American students (based on TIMMS), and some perceived gains in 8th grade eroded by 2007.
In addition to the next six weeks, it is likely the world will experience similar disruptions over the next 18 months until the COVID-19 threat is safely managed.
We should have lesson plans ready - not just to hand out technology, but to use it.
Notes in the Margin
All Massachusetts schools are closed through May 4th, at the earliest.
Boston Public Schools is going ahead with its FY21 budget process. Following a hearing Wednesday night, the School Committee unanimously passed a $1.3B budget, an $80M increase from last year. Agenda (virtual meeting) here.
The Governor’s new COVID-19 response bill opens the door to MCAS cancellation, and Student Opportunity Act reporting delays are officially in play. Federal guidance paved the way for waivers.
There are calls to delay the finalization of the MOU for the state’s intervention in Boston Public Schools.
School Matters
School this fall is also in question. BPS registration is currently on hold, and lotteries/admission to other Boston schools was in process as school shutdowns began. Be sure to follow Boston School Finder for updates.
