Later this month, the governors and top corporate executives will meet in Palisades, N.Y., for a high-powered discussion of what ails the nation's schools. They will focus on setting rigorous academic standards for public schools and on the promise of technology to help students meet those standards. They would do well to reflect on Ms. Fulton's observation. The technology programs on display will have been screened by an independent philanthropic organization to emphasize educational effectiveness. But in contrast to the summit's pragmatic approach, observers say, the governors' recent speeches suggest that technology has become a kind of magic bullet for faltering schools.
Political leaders seem eager to sell the public on the wonders of technology.
And I do think it is a relatively easy sell. I think it is an easier sell, for example, than raising teacher salaries. Teachers' unions, Mr. Fletcher suggested, should take advantage of the current legislative love affair with technology. They should make the case to lawmakers that if they believe in the value of technology to help students learn, they should ensure that money and time are available for teachers to learn how to use it effectively. What Research Shows Complicating the issue of how much states should spend on technology is the fact that little is known about the effects of technology in the classroom.