Last week, a parent came to Open Mind Learning & Fine Arts with a question that stopped me in my tracks.

"My daughter spends four hours a day on her Chromebook at school," she said. "They do everything online now. Reading, math, writing, even science experiments are virtual. But her test scores keep getting worse. Am I the only one who thinks this is backwards?"

No. She is not the only one.

In fact, she is part of a growing number of parents, educators, and researchers who are looking at the data and asking a question that should have been asked years ago: What if all this technology is actually making things worse?

The Promise We Were Sold

For the past two decades, schools across America have invested billions of dollars in laptops, tablets, and educational software. The promise was clear: technology would revolutionize education. Students would learn faster, engage more deeply, and perform better on tests.

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets. Schools in Miami Dade County, like districts across the country, shifted heavily toward digital platforms. Students now complete assignments on IXL, iReady, Savvas, and dozens of other programs. Chromebooks replaced notebooks. Screens replaced worksheets.

It sounded revolutionary. But the results tell a different story.

What the Research Actually Shows

Gen Z is the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardized tests than the previous generation, according to neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath in testimony before the U.S. Senate.

Let that sink in. For the first time in modern history, children are less academically capable than their parents were at the same age.

And the correlation is stark. Program for International Student Assessment data shows a correlation between scores and time spent on computers in school, such that more screen time was related to worse scores.

The more time students spend on screens during school, the lower they score on standardized tests.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Tells the Same Story

According to background information collected with the NAEP, more than 9 in 10 U.S. students in grades 4 and 8 have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone for reading at home, and spending more time using a computer or digital device for English and language arts work was associated with lower reading proficiency on the test.

Twice as many heavy digital users as light users scored below basic on the NAEP, and nearly twice as many light digital users scored at NAEP's advanced proficiency level.

Even States That Went All-In Are Reversing Course

Maine, which in 2002 was one of the first states to adopt a policy of putting laptops in public schools, did not improve its test scores after 15 years of its laptop initiative.

Fifteen years. Millions of dollars. No improvement.

Now, schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies.

Why Technology Is Failing Our Students

The problem is not that technology is inherently bad. The problem is how we are using it, and how much we are using it.

1. Distraction Is Built Into the System

According to a 2014 study which surveyed and observed 3,000 university students, students engaged in off-task activities on their computers nearly two-thirds of the time.

Think about that. Students are supposed to be working on math or reading, but two-thirds of the time, they are doing something else. Checking social media. Playing games. Browsing the internet.

And even when they are trying to focus, when one's attention is interrupted, it takes time to refocus, and task-switching is associated with weaker memory formation and greater rates of error.

2. Deep Learning Requires Focus, Not Multitasking

Patricia Alexander, an education professor at the University of Maryland who studies print and digital reading development, said children have become much more immersed in their technologies than we ever thought they would be, and yet we are putting tablets in the hands of kindergartners and assuming they will know how to regulate their use of them.

We handed children devices that are designed to be addictive, and then we expected them to use those devices for boring tasks like reading comprehension and math drills.

It does not work.

3. Not All Screen Time Is Equal

Increases in television viewing were associated with lower language, mathematics, and composite test scores, and playing video games was also linked to lower composite academic scores.

Passive screen time, like watching videos or playing games, does not build the same skills as active engagement with text, problems, and ideas.

But here is the issue: much of what students do on educational platforms feels passive. They click through problems. They watch instructional videos. They complete digital worksheets that are barely different from paper worksheets, except now they are staring at a screen.

What We See at Open Mind Learning & Fine Arts

At Open Mind, we work with students every day who are struggling with the very platforms their schools rely on. They come to us overwhelmed, distracted, and frustrated.

And when we sit down with them, away from the screen, with a pencil and paper, something shifts.

They focus better. They think more deeply. They remember more.

We are not anti-technology. We use online platforms when they are helpful. But we have learned that technology should support learning, not replace it.

Here is what we do differently:

We Limit Screen Time During Tutoring

When students come to Open Mind for homework help or tutoring, we start with their digital assignments because they have to get done. But we do not keep them on screens longer than necessary.

If a student is working on reading comprehension, we print the passage and have them annotate with a pencil. If they are practicing math, we use paper and pencil so they can show their work and think through each step.

The screens are a tool, not the default.

We Teach Active Engagement, Not Passive Clicking

Educational technology often rewards speed and completion, not understanding. Students click through problems as fast as they can, trying to get to the end.

We slow them down. We ask them to explain their thinking. We make them show their work. We check for real understanding, not just correct answers.

We Balance Digital and Hands-On Learning

Our enrichment programs, arts, dance, and STEAM, are almost entirely screen-free. Students build, create, move, and problem-solve with their hands.

This balance is critical. Children need time away from screens. They need to use their bodies, engage their senses, and interact with the physical world.

What Parents Can Do

If you are worried about how much time your child spends on screens at school and at home, here is what you can do.

1. Ask Your Child's School About Screen Time Policies

You have the right to know how much time your child is spending on screens during the school day. Ask teachers how much of their instruction is digital versus hands-on.

If your child is spending four or five hours a day on a Chromebook, that is worth a conversation.

2. Limit Screens at Home

Just because your child uses screens all day at school does not mean they need more screen time at home.

Set boundaries. No screens during homework unless absolutely necessary. No screens during meals. No screens an hour before bed.

3. Prioritize Reading Physical Books

Students have lost ground in both of the NAEP's main reading content areas: literary experience and reading for information, and the drop was larger for literary skills.

If your child is doing all their reading on a screen, they are missing out on the deep comprehension that comes from reading physical books.

Make time for real books. Go to the library. Read together at night. Let them see you reading.

4. Consider Support Outside of School

If your child is struggling academically despite spending hours on educational technology, they may need a different kind of support.

At Open Mind, we provide the individualized attention, hands-on instruction, and screen-free learning that many students are missing.

A Final Thought

Technology is not going away. And when used thoughtfully, it can be a valuable tool.

But we need to be honest about what the data is showing us. More screen time is related to worse scores. Students are less engaged, less focused, and less capable than they were a generation ago.

As parents and educators, we have a responsibility to ask hard questions. Just because a school has the latest technology does not mean students are learning more.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do is close the laptop, hand a child a pencil and paper, and let them think.

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