WCPT 820 Interview: Jackie Mader of The Hechinger Report

Patti Vasquez is joined by Jackie Mader, journalist at The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit newsroom covering issues of inequality and innovation in education. The discussion examined how school device use expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing concerns about its effects on learning, behavior, and transparency. Here is a brief summary of the conversation:- Schools’ one-to-one device programs expanded during the pandemic and continued after students returned to classrooms.- Device policies, filters, monitoring software, and restrictions vary widely among districts, allowing students to access games, videos, and shared documents during class.- Research is still unclear about how much academic screen time is effective; one district found distracted screen use represented 31 lost instructional days.- Educators commonly connect challenging behavior to excessive home screen use, while research also points to impacts on executive function and missed playtime; poverty and other stressors are additional factors.- Parents, teachers, and students are raising concerns at school board meetings and asking districts to measure device use and review the research. Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).   Follow us: Website: https://heartlandsignal.com WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820 Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heartlandsignal  Heartland Signal X: https://x.com/HeartlandSignal WCPT 820 X: https://x.com/WCPT820 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartlandsignal Threads: threads.com/@heartlandsignal YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heartlandsignalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.