U.S. schools rethink classroom technology as test scores fall

Recent analyses show that American student test scores have been declining since 2012, with math scores for the lowest‑performing students dropping to 1970s levels and reading scores falling below the 1971 baseline. The downward trend coincides with massive investments in classroom screens, including Google’s $14 billion Chromebook sales that now dominate the education‑technology market. Studies cited by the Ethics and Public Policy Center and Columbia University indicate that screens can impede learning, with printed text fostering deeper processing and excessive device use correlating with poorer reading comprehension. Several states—including Kansas, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan and North Carolina—are reconsidering one‑laptop‑per‑student policies and exploring a shift back to printed textbooks and selective computer labs.

At the same time, some educators are experimenting with low‑tech approaches. Projects that revive analog tools, such as student‑crafted commonplace books, aim to boost focus, creativity and peer interaction without relying on constant screens. Advocates argue that technology should serve learning goals rather than dictate them, prompting a broader debate about the balance between digital and traditional resources in U.S. classrooms.