COMMENTARY: Choice is a solution for deciphering tech’s role in education

At a conference in August, a group of parents discussed cellphones’ effect in the classroom. One mother said, “I think cellphones have to be allowed in classrooms. How will we be able to know they’re safe if there is a school shooting?” Her perspective prompted some nods and murmurs of agreement.

Then, another mother said, “I can’t get behind cellphones in the classroom. I think my child would spend all day on social media if they had their phone during class.” This also returned voices of approval.

Then there are parents such as Emily Cherkin, a former teacher, whose attempt to opt out of technology for her seventh-grade daughter was detailed in a recent Wall Street Journal article. A district official told her that a complete internet opt out would not be possible, citing too much of the curriculum is online. Cherkin’s only choice was to request limited access to technology individually with each of her daughter’s teachers, and the effectiveness of such a plan was left unclear.

Each parent has a sensible perspective. School shootings have become routine occurrences, and there is no shortage of data to suggest that cellphones can be a significant distraction for learning in the classroom. For a growing number of families, the effort to minimize screen time is a real challenge.

New data from EdChoice’s 2024 Schooling in America Survey helps shed some light on what type of technology is being used in classrooms and parents’ support levels for each type of technology. According to the survey, a large majority of parents report that their child’s classes use technology such as laptops (80 percent), online learning platforms (75 percent) or tablets (60 percent).

In contrast, one in four parents reports that cellphones (26 percent) and AI (22 percent) are used in their child’s classes.

Parents’ support for using such technology in their child’s classes is much higher. More than 4 in 5 parents support tablets (84 percent) being used in their child’s classes, while 52 percent and 40 percent support the idea of AI and cellphones, respectively, having a role in their child’s classes.

This nuanced debate on whether cellphones belong in the classroom has evolved into a rather dismal predicament for parents: Should safety be of higher priority than a distraction-free learning environment? And what about the prevalence of other forms of technology, such as AI or tablets, that teachers may use as part of their curricula? To what degree should parents weigh in on technology’s use in the classroom?

Many may be familiar with the idea of Occam’s Razor, a problem-solving principle that suggests when faced with competing ideas, all else equal, the simpler one should be preferred.

There is a simpler, more nimble solution that exists. It exists, and this idea has been implemented in many states. Give families options in their child’s education.

Giving families options would mean someone such as Emily Cherkin would no longer have to jump through as many hoops to ensure her child has a better chance at a quality education.

Giving families options can bring peace of mind for a parent who may be worrying about the opposite scenario, in which a student who learns more effectively with the help of technology attends a school that cannot or will not provide such technology in their curriculum.

Giving families options could save teachers from adjusting their lesson plans at the last minute to accommodate a single student. Giving families options could save schools and school districts from having to continuously update their technology policy.

Giving families options is a simple solution to the increasingly sophisticated question of technology’s role in K-12 education. We’re far overdue in making this a reality for every family in America.

Colyn Ritter is a senior research associate at EdChoice. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.