Every year, Duncan said, the U.S. spends $7 billion to $9 billion on textbooks that are “basically obsolete” by the first day of school.
“We in education move too slowly to change,” he said.
Duncan envisioned a school where the pace and topic of a lesson is personalized for each child – and the key to this, he said, is technology.
Mark Edwards, superintendent of Mooresville Graded School District, described how his district fought for wireless access in churches and sports fields and partnered with a local broadband provider to get inexpensive Internet in low-income students’ homes.
"We in education move too slowly to change," said Duncan.
The PTA can help by fundraising for initiatives like equal Internet access, using technology to keep in touch with parents who aren’t able to be as active in schools and “setting high expectations” for all students, Duncan said.
©2015 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
