Educational Technology Should Be Eliminated From Schools Due to Corruption, Waste, and Learning Harm
Source: Auguste Meyrat. "Ed-Tech Vendors Fleece Schools Out Of Millions For Bad Software." April 28, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that schools should get rid of all educational technology because it's corrupt, wastes taxpayer money, and actually makes kids learn less. He says companies bribe school officials to buy expensive, broken software that teachers don't use, while students just play games on their devices instead of learning.
Conclusion
Schools should abandon educational technology and return to paper-based instruction
Premises
- Ed-tech vendors routinely engage in corruption and money laundering, as evidenced by the $22 million LAUSD scandal involving bribes and kickbacks
- Educational technology consumes massive amounts of taxpayer money that could be better spent on teachers, counselors, and reducing property taxes
- Most educational software programs are poorly designed, frequently malfunction, and are rarely used by teachers in practice
- Scientific studies demonstrate that learning on screens is significantly inferior to learning on paper for information retention
- Educational devices primarily serve to distract students, who spend class time playing games and watching videos instead of learning
- The widespread adoption of ed-tech has coincided with declining reading levels among high school graduates
- Technology in classrooms is maintained primarily because it generates profits for vendors and pacifies students, not because it improves education
Assumptions
- The LAUSD corruption case represents a widespread pattern rather than an isolated incident
- Teachers' personal experiences with ed-tech reflect the general quality and utility of these systems
- Student behavior on devices (gaming, entertainment) represents misuse rather than legitimate educational activity
- Classical, paper-based education methods are inherently superior to digital alternatives
- The correlation between ed-tech adoption and declining reading levels implies causation