05/11/2026
Dr. Horvath's talk in Concord is an incredible opportunity to better understand the impact of edtech on our children. Its an opportunity to listen and ask questions that many of us have, for instance:
Does it make sense for a Kindergartener or elementary school child to use gamified teaching tools during the school day?
Does it affect our children's ability to concentrate in other parts of the day...does it impair deeper cognitive effort essential for learning?
What is the actual efficacy of these tools? How much, if any, gamification is ok?
Should we know which edtech tools are used in which grade levels in our schools, how often and how long each day?
Which teaching modalities support the best academic outcomes for our children? Is it known? [hint: yes]
Should We Be Concerned?
What has been the impact on learning outcomes since the advent of the digital classroom?
Across the U.S., national reading scores have declined by the equivalent of nearly a full year's worth of academic loss (NAEP declines shown below).
In Massachusetts, grades 3 to 5, the % of students meeting or exceeding expectations has plummeted:
- ELA: 79% in 2019, 64% in 2026 (down 15 points)
- Math: 80% in 2019, 66% in 2026 (down 14 points)
For context, a decline of 15 points moves approximately half the students in "basic" to "below basic" or from "proficiency" to "basic. In other words, it represents a massive statistical decline in performance.
Concord isn’t holding up better than the rest of the state either. Elementary ELA fell about as much as the state’s, which dropped 14 points. Elementary math fell twice as much as the state’s, 14 points compared with 7. Since 2021, statewide elementary math has recovered 8 points, while Concord’s has slipped 2.
Globally, declines in math and reading have been pervasive since the widening use of edtech in the classroom. For example, in 2026 Sweden experienced its lowest ever-recorded PISA reading scores, undertook an exhaustive meta-analysis of global research studying digital teaching modalities and associated outcomes and has made a comprehensive national pivot away from edtech tools. Please see the attached (short) summary of Sweden's findings around the poor outcomes and how it severely impairs learning, based on over 5 decades of academic research.
https://www.turninglifeon.org/jch
