From Tech First to Tech Worst in the Classroom
August 5, 2026
In my opinion, an entire generation of students are going to be mentally wonky because they were educated with screens. I fear that these young people will be outsmarted by a gerbil or a rock. Fortune in “Hey, we told you so” article, “Schools Across America Are Quietly Admitting That Screens In Classrooms Made Students Worse Off And Are Reversing Years Of Tech-First Policies” is pointing out what quite a few people thought was obvious. Schools are learning that assigning everything student a laptop wasn’t the best idea when it comes to obtaining knowledge that allows a student to perform well on standardized tests. (Sure, I know standardized tests arrive with tons of scuffed and scattered luggage. Nevertheless, some can be useful.)
The clued in Fortune article says:
“Citing the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Horvath said: “Frequent in-class computer use correlates with significantly lower math and science performance across both high-income and middle-income countries.” This study showed fourth-graders’ and eighth-graders’ test scores correlated with whether they were using laptops almost never on the high-end versus almost daily on the low-end.”
Laptop manufacturers have had an influence on public schools. Laptops sold to schools promise to increase student performance. Whether a Mac, Windows laptop, or Chromebooks, the with-it education professionals bought the pitch hook, line, and sinker. Who wants a student to use an outdated laptop. Therefore, upgrade. Could that money be used for other education-related actions; for example, paying teachers pumping up in-service training, or providing certain classes with an in-class human aid to assist the student in his or her learning?
After a couple of decades of doing the techno-boogie, some schools have figured out that technology has to do more than create doomscrolling masters. Some instructors are making students take notes with pen and paper as Abraham Lincoln did. In the US, Gen Z is notable because it allegedly is the first generation not to score higher than their predecessors in measures of academic achievement:
“Distractions are a major culprit of this degradation of learning, Horvath previously told Fortune, adding that refocusing attention after it’s been diverted takes time to recover. Educational systems “screwed up,” he told Fortune. ‘And I genuinely hope Gen Z quickly figures that out and gets mad.’”
Gen Z might be mad, but they also might be too distracted by their screens to get upset. Take that back, they’ll make a TikTok rant, wait for it to go viral, then become outraged. Emotions are based on what’s trending these days. But what about Fortune’s intense, timely coverage of this issue?
Okay, just decades after the digital assault on learning began.
Whitney Grace, August 5, 2026
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