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Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money. |
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Educational Software Not What It’s Cracked Up To Be! |
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A recent study by the Federal Government supports the Watchdog$' long time contention that educational software is not as great as proclaimed by the Katy Independent School District's Administration, and that extraordinary outlays of tax dollars have been of no benefit to students. Why am I not surprised at the conclusions of this study? Public schools follow every trendy thing that comes along because they have unlimited spending power with our tax dollars. These public school administrators who are in charge of this mess, NEVER wait for the proof of this or that program that comes down the pike. They would rather experiment on unsuspecting children and then recant later. Most of the time they don't bother to recant--the program just disappears. The Houston Chronicle recently printed this brief summary of the study: April 4, 2007, 11:54PM From today's Houston Chronicle Amit R. Paley WASHINGTON — Educational software, a $2 billion-a-year industry that has become the darling of school systems across the country, has no significant impact on student performance, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Education. The long-awaited report amounts to a rebuke of educational technology, a business whose growth has been spurred by schools desperate for ways to meet the testing mandates of President Bush's No Child Left Behind law. The technology — ranging from video-game-like programs to more rigorous drilling exercises used on computers — has been embraced by low-performing schools as an easy way to boost student test scores. The study, released Wednesday night, is expected to further inflame the debate about education technology on Capitol Hill as lawmakers consider whether to renew No Child Left Behind. Industry blames execution Industry officials played down the study and attributed most of the problems to poor training and execution of the programs in classrooms. Mark Schneiderman, director of education policy at the Software and Information Industry Association, said other research trials have proved the technology works, although he said those trials were not as large or rigorous as the federal government's. "This may sound flip or like we're making excuses, but the fact is that technology is only one part of it, and the implementation of the technology is critical to success," said Schneiderman, whose group represents 150 companies that produce educational software. The study evaluated 15 reading and math products used in 132 schools. There were no statistically significant differences on standardized tests between students who used software and those who did not. The full Washington Post original story which includes this significant paragraph may be accessed at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402715.html?hpid=topnews: "The study, mandated by Congress when it passed No Child Left Behind in 2002, evaluated 15 reading and math products used by 9,424 students in 132 schools across the country during the 2004-05 school year. It is the largest study that has compared students who received the technology with those who did not, as measured by their scores on standardized tests. There were no statistically significant differences between students who used software and those who did not." To view all the educational software that Katy ISD is trying out on YOUR children, go to: http://xpediant.com/files/120_Spealized_Applications_for_Katy_ISD.pdf
© 2007 by Mary McGarr. All rights reserved.
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Mary McGarr, Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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Date: 04/09/2007 |
