Leave it to the government school monopoly to blow $30 billion of taxpayer money on laptops and tablets that were supposed to revolutionize learning but instead produced a generation of kids less cognitively equipped than their parents.

U.S. schools spent that staggering sum on educational technology in 2024 alone – roughly 10 times what they shelled out for textbooks. The promise was access to endless knowledge at every student’s fingertips, but the outcome has been a cognitive nosedive that leaves Gen Z struggling with basic skills like attention, memory, literacy and numeracy.

Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath laid it out plainly in his Senate testimony: Gen Z marks the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardized tests than the one before them. Data from over 80 countries shows the same pattern — declines in IQ, executive function, and creativity, all accelerating around 2010 when digital devices flooded classrooms.

This disaster stems from the same old story: a bloated, unaccountable system that throws money at shiny gadgets to mask its failures. Public schools lack real incentives to innovate wisely or face consequences for poor results, so administrators chase trends. They’ll buy devices en masse under the guise of “equity” and “modernization,” but without strategies to ensure those tools enhance actual instruction.

Government schools deliver too much work through screens and that has held back Gen Z. (Cecilie_Arcurs/Getty Images)

Kids end up parked in front of screens for hours, scrolling through low-effort apps instead of engaging in deep, hands-on learning. The result is atrophy in critical thinking and problem-solving — the very skills education should build. Horvath pointed to Program for International Student Assessment data revealing a direct link: more screen time in school correlates with worse performance.

Technology itself holds immense promise for education. Personalized learning apps can adapt to a student’s pace, virtual simulations can bring history or science to life, and online resources can connect rural kids to world-class experts. Properly harnessed, these tools could boost achievement and close gaps. The problem arises when schools treat tech as a lazy substitute for high-quality teaching.

Teachers unions exacerbate the issue by pushing for more EdTech spending that lightens their members’ workloads without demanding better outcomes. Think AI grading papers, automated lesson plans and screens essentially babysitting students. Unions demand less handwritten work and more outsourcing of core teaching tasks, all while shielding underperforming educators from accountability.

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In July 2025, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced a formal partnership with OpenAI. Microsoft and Anthropic joined in, creating a $23 million initiative for free AI training and curriculum.

Unions are positioning themselves to control how AI rolls out, potentially programming it with biased narratives that serve their agendas rather than students’ needs. AFT President Randi Weingarten has already signaled as much. She revealed a partnership between her union and the World Economic Forum (WEF) to “create a curriculum that will lead to good jobs and solid careers in U.S. manufacturing.”

Handing curriculum design to globalist organizations like the WEF raises red flags. They want to impose a one-size-fits-all agenda on American kids, bypassing parents and local communities. If unions and international bodies dictate AI and tech integration, expect more indoctrination disguised as innovation — leftist narratives embedded in algorithms, all funded by taxpayers.

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This over-reliance on technology as a crutch harms kids in tangible ways. Teens now spend more than half their waking hours staring at screens, and the cognitive toll is evident. Humans learn best through interaction with real people and immersive study, not endless swiping for summaries. Excessive device use weakens focus and deep processing, leading to the declines we’re seeing.

Yet unions protect the status quo, fighting measures like performance-based pay or easier dismissal of ineffective teachers. In this environment, tech becomes a band-aid for systemic rot, reducing actual instruction time and stunting development.

The problem arises when schools treat tech as a lazy substitute for high-quality teaching.

The solution lies in breaking the government school monopoly through school choice. Competition forces providers to innovate responsibly — using tech as a true tool, not a shortcut. Charter schools and private options already show how this plays out: they integrate devices thoughtfully, with accountability tied to results.

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In choice-rich states like Arizona and Florida, achievement rises because schools must earn families’ trust. A thousand flowers can bloom when markets drive education, harnessing technology to personalize learning without the waste and over-dependence plaguing public systems.

Imagine a landscape where parents select schools that balance screens with proven methods like phonics-based reading or project-based math. Teachers, freed from union-mandated bureaucracy, could leverage AI for efficiency while focusing on mentorship. Underperforming institutions would close or reform, replaced by better alternatives. This model aligns incentives with student success, not special interests.

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The $30-billion debacle proves the current system can’t adapt. It squanders resources on fads while kids suffer. Gen Z’s lower scores demand urgency. We can’t afford another generation handicapped by monopoly incompetence.

School choice is the imperative to rescue education from this self-serving cycle. Parents know their kids best, and they deserve the power to choose environments where teachers and technology enhance cognition. Let’s fund students, not systems, and watch innovation thrive.

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