The L.A. Unified School District is making headlines again for new analysis that reveals the district continues to be troubled by costly tech initiatives that it has failed to get off the ground.

"The analysis shows that serious challenges have persisted with technology in the L.A. Unified School District, including limited classroom use of iPads and other computers, inadequate support for teachers and partial or inconsistent access to the Internet," said The Los Angeles Times.

Problems with implementing technology has plagued LAUSD for quite some time, culminating with the announcement that it was dropping a $1.3 billion initiative to provide iPads to every student, teacher, and administrator in the district. It found after attempting to roll-out the plan that it was too expensive and unsustainable to do so.

LAUSD has also been plagued by a contract made with Pearson for which it is now demanding a refund of. The contract was made in order to have teachers and students using Pearson's online curriculum in their classrooms but is seldom used.

Researchers estimated the 3-year contract with Pearson is costing the district about $200 extra dollars per device, and found that it is rarely used across schools.

On a positive note, LAUSD has made significant strides in improving WiFi in schools in need. Months ago, analysis revealed that over 200 schools lacked adequate wireless Internet. The latest analysis revealed that only 19 schools now have substandard WiFi, The Times said.

But overall, the researchers have concluded that LAUSD has not come up with an appropriate plan to tackle the technology challenges it faces.

"Although there have been steps forward, 'the district has not yet arrived at a solution for several organizational and technical challenges,' the researchers concluded. 'Ongoing challenges and areas where less progress occurred included: deploying devices in a timely manner, communicating with schools, coordinating efforts with other instructional initiatives and clarifying a vision for technology use in instruction.'"

Read the full article here and comment with your thoughts below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

09/04/2015