{"id":2577243,"date":"2026-03-07T15:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T20:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brutal-numbers-schools-spent-30-billion-on-laptops-and-they-seem-to-have-made-kids-dumber\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T15:04:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T20:04:22","slug":"brutal-numbers-schools-spent-30-billion-on-laptops-and-they-seem-to-have-made-kids-dumber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brutal-numbers-schools-spent-30-billion-on-laptops-and-they-seem-to-have-made-kids-dumber\/","title":{"rendered":"Brutal Numbers: Schools Spent $30 Billion on Laptops&#8230; and They Seem to Have Made Kids Dumber"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbrutal-numbers-schools-spent-30-billion-on-laptops-and-they-seem-to-have-made-kids-dumber%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2577243&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece argues that technological innovation in education does not automatically improve learning outcomes.It traces a long history of large investments in classroom devices\u2014from a 2002 Maine program that put Apple laptops in middle schools to about $30 billion in federal spending by 2024\u2014and suggests that the hoped-for performance gains have not consistently followed.<\/p>\n<p>Key points include: neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath\u2019s testimony that Gen Z shows declining test scores and that more time with digital devices correlates with weaker learning, warning against indiscriminate digital expansion; studies cited such as Techspot\u2019s finding that many university students spend considerable time on laptops for non-classroom activities; Fortune\u2019s 2017 finding that test scores hadn\u2019t improved; and OxJournal\u2019s research linking digital media use to ADHD symptoms across ages, with earlier exposure increasing risk. The article contends that customary methods\u2014pencil and paper, chalkboards\u2014remain highly effective, and that a culture of change for its own sake can undermine learning. It concludes that educational tools should align with how human learning actually works rather than assume technology alone will improve outcomes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Technological innovation doesn&rsquo;t always yield good results.<\/p>\n<p>Even as electronic devices are championed as the best means of learning for youth &mdash; with a massive price tag &mdash; we aren&rsquo;t seeing dramatic improvements in students&rsquo; performance.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 23, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techspot.com\/news\/111439-after-30-billion-school-tech-laptop-classroom-experiment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Techspot<\/a> published an article citing the beginning of the tech takeover in the classroom under former Maine Democratic Gov. Angus King.<\/p>\n<p>In 2002, King created a program to put Apple laptops in middle schoolers&rsquo; repertoire. By 2024, the federal government had used a staggering $30 billion to follow his state&rsquo;s plan, getting tablets and laptops to students across the country.<\/p>\n<p>This seemed like an obvious shift in the right direction on paper: The world is becoming more technological. Students will use these devices in the workplace, so why not familiarize them now?<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>But neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath laid out the adverse impacts of this decision to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.<\/p>\n<p>According to Horvath, Gen Z is the first cohort to see <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >declining test scores compared<\/a> to their predecessors. He found an inverse relationship between academic performance and time using digital devices.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is not a debate about rejecting technology,&rdquo; he told lawmakers. &ldquo;It is a question of aligning educational tools with how human learning actually works. Evidence indicates that indiscriminate digital expansion has weakened learning environments rather than strengthened them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Techspot cited studies showing 3,000 university students spent two-thirds of time on their school laptops engaging in material unrelated to classwork.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2017\/08\/20\/maine-test-scores-one-laptop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fortune<\/a> found that in 2017, test scores weren&rsquo;t improving after King&rsquo;s program.<\/p>\n<p>A study published in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oxjournal.org\/how-does-technology-affect-the-attention-spans-of-different-age-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OxJournal<\/a> made a worrying conclusion regarding technology and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kansas-city-chiefs-suspend-britt-reid-son-of-head-coach-after-car-crash-that-hospitalized-two-children\/\" title=\"Kansas City Chiefs Suspend Britt Reid, Son Of Head Coach, After Car Crash That Hospitalized Two Children\">attention deficit hyperactivity disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The research &ldquo;established an evident correlation between digital media use and the prevalence of ADHD in contemporary society. This applies for all age demographics, depending on the setting, such as being in school or in a workplace.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The earlier we immerse our children&rsquo;s underdeveloped minds in digital media, offering them instant fulfillment, the higher the likelihood that an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/adored-teachers-son-has-been-charged-with-her-murder-life-senselessly-taken\/\" title=\"Beloved Teacher&#039;s Son Accused of Her Tragic Murder - a Senseless Loss of Life\">attention-deficit disorder<\/a> will emerge as they mature,&rdquo; the study continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This inhibits individuals from focusing their selective attention on a particular task, as well as reduces their divided and sustained attention.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A traditionally minded educator &mdash; or most conservatives &mdash; could have seen this coming.<\/p>\n<p>Laptops were introduced as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-unveils-effort-to-protect-k-12-schools-from-cyberattacks\/\" title=\"Biden Admin&#039;s Plan to Safeguard K\u201312 Schools from Cyberattacks Revealed\">cutting-edge tools<\/a> to help students prepare for the future.<\/p>\n<p>The traditional means of learning &mdash; call it pencil and paper, a chalkboard, or even parchment and quill &mdash; were used for so long for a reason.<\/p>\n<p>These were &mdash; and in many cases still are &mdash; the most effective means of grasping classroom material.<\/p>\n<p>Culturally, the norm is innovation and progress for the sake of it.<\/p>\n<p>If something can change, it should.<\/p>\n<p>But that change may not always be for the best.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Technological advances in education haven\u2019t consistently produced better results. Despite electronic devices being hailed as the ideal way to teach today\u2019s youth and despite their high cost, students\u2019 performance hasn\u2019t improved dramatically. The trend began with former Maine governor Angus King, who in 2002 started a program to put Apple laptops in middle schools. By 2024, the federal government had spent about $30 billion to expand that approach nationwide, delivering tablets and laptops to students. On paper, this move seemed logical: a tech-centric world means students should become proficient with devices for the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the evidence is mixed. Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath told the U.S. Senate that Gen Z is the first generation to show declining test scores compared with previous cohorts, and that there is an inverse relationship between academic performance and time spent using digital devices. He argued this isn\u2019t a critique of technology itself but a call to align educational tools with how human learning actually works. TechSpot pointed to studies where thousands of university students spent about two-thirds of their laptop time on material unrelated to classwork. Fortune noted that by 2017, test scores hadn\u2019t improved following King\u2019s program. An OxJournal study linked digital media use to ADHD prevalence, suggesting that early, constant exposure to digital rewards can foster attention problems across ages and settings, making it harder to focus and sustain attention.<\/p>\n<p>Critics\u2014often traditional-minded educators and many conservatives\u2014had already warned that while laptops and other devices were marketed as future-facing tools, long-used methods like pencil and paper, chalkboards, or even parchment and quill have proven effective for understanding material. There\u2019s a broader cultural impulse toward innovation for its own sake, but the article argues that change should serve genuine learning goals rather than simply updating tools. In short, technology can help, but it should complement proven teaching methods rather than replace them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2577244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-07T134425.000.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[75312,75313,75315,74204,75314],"class_list":["post-2577243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-edtech","tag-education-spending-2","tag-laptops","tag-policy-analysis-2","tag-student-performance-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-07T134425.000.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2577243"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2577247,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577243\/revisions\/2577247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2577244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2577243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2577243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2577243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}