Technology Alone Isn’t Cure For What Ails Schools

Gov. Andrew Cuomo made some waves earlier this week when he announced plans to partner with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to reimagine education in the new normal.

In the short-term, it’s important to note that the move to online education has not been as seamless as the governor and his supporters seem to think. Rural schools haven’t had many children drop away from education when schools closed in mid-March, but we have heard the message loud and clear from Dr. Bret Apthorpe, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, that the district has had a hard time tracking down some students after school buildings closed. Zoom classes at the elementary levels have been, at times, sparsely attended. And, both times that parents in at least one elementary school were given pretty clear instructions how and when to pick up packets of school work for their children to do at home, district officials have had to extend the pick-up times or even take the step to drive packets to children’s homes. […]

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