March 29, 2020
A friend of mine who works at a
private school got an email from the parents of one of her students. They told
her that next year they’ll be enrolling their son in a public school. The tech
they’re using during the lockdown has convinced them that he’ll still be able
to keep in touch with his friends, even if they go to different schools.
She is wondering whether more
parents of private-school students will consider switching to public schools to
lessen the expense of their kids’ education.
She writes, “As the world is
changing, looking forward, this exclusive, hierarchical way of looking at
education may change significantly, leveling the playing field between public
and private schools. …”
Something to think about.
(Please read the comments. I can't get them to show on the main page here, but they're worth looking at.)
2 comments:
Your friend raises a valid point. We tend to think of technology as the great equalizer so the potential for leveling the playing field through e-teaching seems like it could be a beneficial consequence of the current situation.
As a teacher in a public school I have a few thoughts about this.
Unfortunately, I don't think one of the results of the current educational situation will be to level the playing field between public and private schools. First off, many public school districts - especially the larger ones - are scrambling to make sure they can actually get the necessary technology into the hands of their students. Most do not have a one-to-one correspondence of devices with students. They simply don't have the funds for that. And that is not likely to change in the near future. Additionally, even if each student had a device, not all the parents can afford to have internet. Which means no access to lessons. Not likely to change either. In my district at least 25-30% of students/families don't have devices or internet. In some of the schools, it's at least 50%. We know that while wealthier districts and some schools within larger the district, even if they don't have a one-to-one correspondence with devices, those areas/families generally have access to devices and internet at home. If anything, far from leveling the playing field between public and private schools, this crisis has highlighted the disparity of resources between wealthier public and private schools and larger districts with economically disadvantaged areas/schools. Technology is great! And teaching students how to use it will definitely help them become productive 21st century citizens. But you've got to have the resources to provide it.
And while having some of these programs/apps might be a great way to stay in touch with friends/family, it is not ideal for teaching and really doesn't take the place of the much needed human contact. We hear more and more about how people/students are feeling more and more isolated. Distance learning/e-learning will only exacerbate that feeling. And it won't matter how wealthy or economically disadvantaged you are.
My friend says,
Mary351 is right. Not only is there not as much Equity, even with the free iPads, but there is also the issue of internet. Broadband accessibility also comes into play, in addition to apps and programs that may or may not be free to all students.
On the other hand, while I think she’s right that there will always be a class system here in our country, I also think that, just like in the Industrial Age, when there were always some people who were owners of industry while the rest of us were only workers in industry, changing over to an industrial focus allowed the population to lift people out of the “solely rural,” farming, unskilled state of being, to more skilled trades.
I think, I hope, this new current version of the Information Age will allow the population access to more education, whether it’s apps, courses, or even free or more bandwidth, data, and internet service. Of course, those also need their jobs!
So, this new era we’re entering into has possibilities. And folks can be very creative, as we are seeing now. I’m hoping creativity + motivation + window of opportunity = a new closer-to-equity society.
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