As computer technology becomes
integral to an ever-wider range of professions, lawmakers and educators have
grappled with how to prepare students to compete in the modern workforce. Home
computer and Internet use have continued to increase, but not every child lives
in a household with computer and Internet access.
In response, the state has sought
to bridge the technology gap by providing teachers and students with laptop
computers. However, state officials have done so with little understanding of
whether these programs will help students meet critical educational goals.
The state’s track record thus far
is dubious. In 2000, on the heels of the tech boom, Gov. John Engler set aside
$110 million to give laptop computers to Michigan’s 91,000 public school
teachers. While this may have been a nice perk for teachers, a survey conducted
by Michigan Virtual University found that fewer than one in nine teachers felt
they could use the laptops to enhance their lessons. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the
program has resulted in no significant jump in student achievement.
A related program aimed at
providing laptops to sixth-grade students was first approved in 2003, and it
continues to limp along. Introduced in April 2003 by then-Speaker of the House
Rick Johnson, R-LeRoy, and signed into law as Public Act 158, the so-called
"Freedom to Learn" laptop program originally earmarked $22 million in state
funds and $17 million in federal funds, with an additional $25 per laptop to be
contributed by participating school districts. Following dubious media reviews
and claims by numerous school districts that their actual costs would far exceed
the $25 per laptop price tag, Gov. Jennifer Granholm canceled state funding in
October 2003.
Since 2003, Freedom to Learn has
existed primarily on federal funding and school district contributions. In March
2005, Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Howell, introduced Senate Bill 299, which would
appropriate $3.7 million in state money and $5 million in federal funds to
continue the laptop program. Gov. Granholm did not include it in her fiscal 2006
budget recommendation.
Whatever its future, Freedom to
Learn is a gimmicky program with no demonstrable results. A 2004 Michigan State
University study found that while teachers "believe" that students are spending
more time on homework and parents are becoming more engaged, "It’s impossible to
make any judgments about the program’s long-term effects on student academic
performance." And despite a requirement in the vendor’s contract to "deliver
ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers" (per State of
Michigan Acquisition Services), the MSU study found that only 28 percent of
teachers reported that instructional support was available all or most of the
time.
The MSU study also found that
districts might need to upgrade their technology infrastructures to support the
sixth-graders’ laptops. Traverse City, Oakland, Warren, Rochester and Kent are
just a few of the districts that said they would not participate in the program
due to its peripheral costs. Paul Soma, chief financial director for Traverse
City Area Public Schools, said the district would spend far above $25 per
laptop.
Computer network configurations can
vary between districts and even between schools. Connecting dozens of laptops to
a school’s network is not as simple as plugging in a cable or flipping a switch.
There are support, security, bandwidth and data storage costs that are difficult
to quantify, but very real nevertheless.
Another concern is that because of
the inadequate teacher training, the laptop program may actually detract from
traditional curricula. Technology education may be important, but there are many
ways to accomplish it that do not require giving sixth-graders laptop computers.
The Freedom to Learn program may
have allowed some politicians to appear to be leaders in cutting-edge education
technology. But a hard look at the program’s costs and its lack of quantifiable
results suggests that Gov. Granholm was correct to pull the plug on the
sixth-graders’ laptops.
Megan Dwyer is a senior project
manager for a search engine marketing firm located in Lake Leelanau, Mich. This
article is based on research by Dwyer that won an award from the Political
Science Department at Central Michigan University.