Idaho Legislature Mandates Online Classes for High School Students

Photograph by NY Times photographer Jim Wilson from an article in the Technology section of the New York Times entitled, " Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools" by Matt Richtel

I recently read an article about the Idaho state government taking the initiative to promote technology use in the classroom. by mandating a requirement that all graduating seniors must take a certain number of classes online in order to graduate.This legislative edict has been enacted apparently to place Idaho at the forefront of implementing technology use in the classroom. Bravo!

But upon closer inspection of legislation and its implications there appears to be more than meets the eye.

There is no question in my mind that technology in the classroom can and does enhance education, especially critical thinking strategies, hands on skills, and standards based learning. These outcomes are achievable, but they require good infrastructure support from the school district, and a commitment by government to regularly fund hardware reinvestment. Finally, at the school site, the coalition of teachers, parents and principals must commit to on-going effective professional development, and peer review of best practices.  Technology works best when it is seamless and transparent. It is a supplement to best practices; it does not create them!

            The Idaho legislative mandate on technology use looks suspiciously like a thinly veiled attempt to create a political showdown between the governor’s office and the teacher’s union. The policy issues involving mandated distance learning classes for high school students, and migrating textbooks to handheld computers like the iPad points to a political calculation on the part of Idaho state government that it will successfully paint the teachers union as obstructionists who are more committed to their narrow special interests than to the future competiveness of Idaho’s students in a high tech driven, 21^st century marketplace.

The deeper unanswered questions in Idaho, and our own State of California are how do we sustainably fund public education; and what is our commitment to data driven uses of technology in the classroom?