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Education czar says it's time to 'stop, look and listen'

Oh great, while medical researchers warn of a possible link between cell phone use and brain cancer, Secretary Spellings gives the spotlight to an education entrepreneur who just happens to be a senior vice president of the company which is the largest supplier of cell phone chips. Surprise. Surprise. He claims the best way to reach students is by using cellular phones as classroom learning tools.

This story could be/should be in "The Eggplant."


By Maureen Magee

SAN DIEGO – U.S. education chief Margaret Spellings made a whirlwind tour of San Diego yesterday to discuss how technology in schools can raise student achievement and better prepare students for the real world.

Spellings hosted the last of four roundtable forums, held nationwide over the past 14 months, at wireless giant Qualcomm – where she engaged leaders in education, technology and investment on topics ranging from computers and cellular phones to electronic textbooks and teacher training.

"Before I leave office I think we should stop, look and listen with regard to where we are in terms of technology in our schools," Spellings said.

The goal, she said, is to "set the table for the next administration," by taking an inventory of what works, what is needed and what can be done to make technology relevant in schools.

Members of the roundtable gave suggestions ranging from offering more flexibility in spending government money to drafting federal technology guidelines.

Calvin Baker, superintendent of Arizona's Vail School District, offered an extreme example of technology in education. A Vail high school has gone completely wireless, replacing textbooks with laptop computers.

"Technology in and of itself is never going to transform education," he warned, adding that reform always hinges on quality teachers.

William Bold, a senior vice president with Qualcomm, suggested that the best way to reach students is by embracing the company's favorite mode of technology: cellular phones.

Qualcomm is working with the North Carolina Department of Education on a pilot program that uses cellular phones as classroom learning tools. The company last year became the world's largest supplier of cell phone chips.

"Cell phones have made an incredible difference in productivity of Qualcomm employees," Bold said. "This is something kids respond to . . . we are trying to understand how it could be best applied to the classroom."

To see technology and students in action, Spellings also visited High Tech High in Point Loma, one of several charter schools in an enterprise that incorporates technology into virtually every aspect of a student's day.

Spellings said more schools should adopt High Tech High's brand of personalized education, in which students are encouraged to offer suggestions on anything from curriculum to homework.

Spellings also praised High Tech's flexible personnel policies. The charter school operates independently from any teachers union contract and can hire without the constraints of seniority or a teaching credential.

"At a school like this, it's not about test scores, per se," she said. "It's about high expectations and finding the best ways to use teacher capital, human capital."

Referring to herself as the grande dame of the federal No Child Left Behind education-reform initiative, Spellings attempted to rally support for the beleaguered government program throughout the day.

Bush's schools czar finished her day by speaking at the 2008 Biotechnology Institute's education awards banquet in San Diego.

— Maureen Magee
Union-Tribune
2008-06-17
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20080617-9999-1m17spell.html

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