The initiative is the work of the district, which since the outbreak of the pandemic, has focused on bringing technology into the classroom.
States sprint to limit screen time
The change at the nation’s second-largest school district comes amid a slew of recent state reorganizations. Since January, Alabama, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia have passed some form of legislation to reexamine the role of technology in teaching and testing, and more than 10 other states are considering similar restrictions.
T. Philip Nichols, associate professor of English education at Baylor University, called LAUSD’s move a “pendulum swing.”
Nichols, who has researched the role of technology in public education for years, says all the recent work is surprising but welcome. The proliferation of laptops, tablets and interactive whiteboards, he said, “are not just neutral tools. They are shaping the way we think.
Proposed legislation in Vermont recently cited Nichols’ work in a bill that would allow parents to exclude their children from screen time. His research shows that widespread computer use has not led to higher test scores or student achievement.
Vermont’s bill also raises concerns about student data privacy.
“These platforms … also collect data on how students participate in them so they can sell products to schools,” Nichols said. “When you read a book, that book doesn’t read you back.”
How much technology is too much?
However, some advocates recognize decades of research into the power of computers and technology to guide learning and provide useful information to students and teachers.
Tracy Weeks, senior director of education policy and strategy at education technology company Instructure, says the rush to cut screen time in schools is too hasty: “It’s kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
Instructure creates digital classroom management tools like Canvas and Mastery, which are used by about 30% of K-12 students nationwide.
“When we talk about things like screen time,” she said, “[it] it is very difficult because every minute is not equal depending on what you are actually doing.”
He says that scrolling and passively watching videos are different from the interactive activities that many teachers use to engage children.
It’s a bipartisan push
LAUSD’s vote to limit screen time gave district administrators a June deadline to enact a formal policy. The order also aims to issue new rules this fall in classrooms. Parents and teachers won’t know the scope of those rules until sometime this summer.
The proposed rollout in LA is quick but includes some proposed legislation. In Utah, a back-to-basics law limiting screen time goes into effect July 1 and gives the state board of education until the end of the calendar year to draft a new school policy, though when that will be implemented in classrooms remains unclear.
“We’re trying to help kids build healthy habits with technology,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Republican, at a press conference. “We’re not going to get this right on the first try, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
In Missouri, the State House passed a bill to limit screen time this spring. This proposal, like others passing through state legislatures, was introduced by a Republican representative. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in the House and is now on its way to the state Senate.
Kathy Steinhoff is a Democratic state representative and former teacher who voted for the Missouri bill. He says he was skeptical at first: “When I saw that paper and I said, ‘Oh, there’s no way I’m going to fail.'”
The original proposal called for no more than 45 minutes of screen time per day and mandated a cumulative writing mandate. Steinhoff says he understands the research that has been done on this proposal, but he does not agree with the strict instructions for teachers.
“Teaching is an art,” he said. “And if you try to make it more of a checklist … it loses its ability, I think, to have a meaningful education for our children.”
However, over time, he said changes in the law made it less rigid and gave school districts the opportunity to set their own goals.
The version that passed Missouri’s House is similar to the one LAUSD voted on — school districts must come up with their own policies to limit screen time.
The big difference? A timeline. Steinhoff argued that even the 2027 deadline in Missouri’s current bill is too strict for reform.
