69传媒

Classroom Technology News in Brief

L.A. Shifts Gears Over Computers-for-All-69传媒 Policy

By Benjamin Herold 鈥 March 03, 2015 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The Los Angeles Unified district cannot afford to provide all its students with a digital computing device, interim Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines has announced.

That decision marks a major policy reversal for the country鈥檚 second-largest district, which for nearly two years has been under scrutiny for its seemingly star-crossed effort to give iPads to 641,000 students, as well as to staff members and administrators.

鈥淲e are committed to providing technology to our children,鈥 Mr. Cortines said in a statement Feb. 20. 鈥淲e will need to identify alternative ongoing resources to fund the curriculum that is preloaded on some of the devices, which is of course why I believe that, currently, the district does not have sufficient funds to purchase and maintain technology in a 1:1 model.鈥

In November 2013, Education Week reported problems associated with the Pearson digital curriculum intended to be included on the iPads. Later, the district鈥檚 independent evaluator, the American Institutes for Research, concluded that the curriculum had gaping holes, was plagued by technical glitches, and was almost never used in the classroom.

This past December, the FBI raided district headquarters, taking away 20 boxes of materials in what has been reported to be an investigation into the bid process that led to contracts for Apple and Pearson.

Former schools Superintendent John Deasy, who led the iPads-for-all effort, steadfastly defended the program. He resigned in October.

Fifty-eight schools now have a total of more than 90,000 iPads. The district plans to proceed with existing efforts to test laptop computers or Chromebooks at 21 additional high schools.

A version of this article appeared in the March 04, 2015 edition of Education Week as L.A. Shifts Gears Over Computers-for-All-69传媒 Policy

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Classroom Technology Opinion Has Technology Been Bad for 69传媒 and Learning?
Education technology is supposed to build knowledge. We need to wrestle with the possibility that it might not.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Classroom Technology Opinion Why School Cellphone Bans Are a Bad Idea
We cannot ignore the powerful relationship between students and their phones鈥攁nd what they mean for equity in our most challenged schools.
Brandon Cardet-Hernandez
4 min read
Trendy halftone collage. Hand holding and using cell phone.
Natalya Kosarevich/iStock
Classroom Technology From Our Research Center How Strict Are School Cellphone Policies?
New survey data show that schools are trying a variety of approaches to curb students鈥 cellphone use.
2 min read
Young student using on smartphone in classroom
Leonardo Patrizi/iStock/Getty
Classroom Technology From Our Research Center How 69传媒 Are Dodging Cellphone Restrictions
69传媒鈥 efforts to restrict cellphone use have set up a battle of wits between teachers and students.
1 min read
A ninth grader places her cellphone in to a phone holder as she enters class at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. At the rural Utah school, there is a strict policy requiring students to check their phones at the door when entering every class. Each classroom has a cellphone storage unit that looks like an over-the-door shoe bag with three dozen smartphone-sized slots.
A 9th grader places her cellphone into a holder as she enters class at Delta High School in Delta, Utah, in February. The rural school has a strict policy requiring students to check their phones at the door when entering every class.
Rick Bowmer/AP