DC-area schools look to balance screens and traditional learning

While many school systems around the region have banned or restricted cellphone use during the school day, another debate is playing out over the laptops, tablets and other devices students use in class.

As parents and educators raise questions about how much screen time kids are getting during the school day, school districts in the D.C. area are taking a closer look at classroom technology, adding guardrails around its use and putting renewed emphasis on teacher-led instruction, books, writing and face-to-face learning, especially for younger students.

In Montgomery County, Chief Academic Officer Niki Porter said concerns from parents and educators have led the school system to look at learning materials, particularly for elementary and middle school students, that rely less on technology.

“At the elementary level, we are really at the primary levels, kindergarten to second grade, really there’s no need to use technology,” she said.

Porter said elementary school teachers primarily use paper, pencils and workbooks, with technology used mostly for assessments.

“We are moving away from heavy reliance on technology,” Porter said.

Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia are also examining technology use in the classroom and has launched a pilot program to determine whether students in kindergarten through second grade need one-to-one devices.

“Maybe there are other ways to meet the needs of these classrooms instead of having a one-to-one device assigned to students,” said Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Neil Slevin.

For students in third through fifth grade, district-issued devices no longer provide access to YouTube and Gmail.

“It’s not so much about the removal of the technology, it’s is this the right moment in time to use the technology,” Slevin said.

In Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, students are increasingly being asked to go tech-free during parts of the school day, including lunch, recess and class transitions at elementary schools.

Chief Information Officer Andrew Zuckerman said the main concern he is hearing is that there is an overreliance on technology at schools.

“The thing that becomes an issue in schools is when that screen time becomes more recreational, more passive,” he said.

Zuckerman said the goal is maintaining a balanced instructional technology approach while limiting times when devices can become a distraction.

In Prince William County, Virginia, students are issued iPads for classwork, but Superintendent LaTanya McDade said those devices are not meant to take the place of time-tested classroom instruction.

“We still believe that every student should have a book in hand,” McDade said.

At Alexandria City Public Schools, Chief Information Officer Emily Dillard said the focus remains on in-person classroom instruction, with technology used as a targeted learning tool rather than the driver of instruction.

“We provide professional learning to staff regarding purposeful use of technology, rather than low-value technology usage.”

Dillard said the district’s 2023-28 Technology Plan called for creating an Educational Technology Advisory Group, which is launching this year to gather community feedback and help shape future technology use in classrooms.

While the approaches vary, the districts are trying to answer a similar question: How much classroom screen time is appropriate, particularly for younger students?

In D.C., the school system recently revealed plans to create grade-level guidelines for technology use, reduce unnecessary screen time and monitor how much time students spend on digital learning platforms, including i-Ready. The changes came in response to concerns raised by the advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens.

School leaders say technology remains an important classroom tool. The question is no longer whether devices should be used, but how much screen time is appropriate and when technology adds value to a lesson.

Montgomery County, Maryland, is among the systems taking a deeper look at that question. Porter said a recently approved comprehensive review will include surveys of schools and an examination of how technology is being used across grade levels. The findings will be used to develop more specific guidance on classroom technology use.

“Our goal is for the fall of next school year to be able to have very specific guidance in place for the district,” Porter said.

For Montgomery County, Porter said one principle will remain unchanged.

“The technology does not lead. That the teacher is the one that leads the instruction and is engaging the students,” Porter said.

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