Technology Trumps Quality Teaching for Parents in the Northeast and West
Parents
in the Northeast and West believe
up-to-date technology is more important than the quality of their
teachers. The
reverse is true — that high-quality teachers are more important than
technology — in the South and Midwest.
Those are among several results of a survey of 600
parents conducted by research firm Toluna
on behalf of the Follett Corp.
Nationally,
parents generally feel that both are
almost equally as important, with 29 percent believing teaching is most
crucial
while 28 percent believe technology is, according to the survey.
"Ideally,
the best teachers are collaborating
with their students to use technology in ways that demonstrate what
they are
learning is applicable to their lives, both inside and outside the
classroom,"
said Rosalind Wiseman, a parenting educator and author.
When
asked to rank a series of items typically
believed to be necessary for an effective education, 41 percent of
parents in
the Northeast and 31 percent of those in the West chose up-to-date
technology.
On the other hand, 41 percent of parents in the Midwest and 33 percent
of those
in the South chose high-quality teachers.
Nationally,
parents ranked the following ingredients
to achieve a quality education in terms of importance:
- Quality
teachers 29 percent;
- Up-to-date
technology 28 percent;
- Class
size 13 percent;
- Personalized
learning 8 percent;
- Access
to additional teacher instructions 7
percent;
- Quality
textbooks 6 percent;
- Ample
curriculum funding 4 percent;
- Ample
school supplies 4 percent; and
- Other,
1 percent.
The
largest concern parents have for their
children, held by 33 percent of them, was that their children would
adjust well
to the classroom setting while making new friends, according to the survey.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.