“What’s wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology”

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Wired quotes Steve Jobs:

I used to think that technology could help education. I’ve probably spearheaded giving away more computer equipment to schools than anybody else on the planet. But I’ve had to come to the inevitable conclusion that the problem is not one that technology can hope to solve. What’s wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology. No amount of technology will make a dent.

It’s a political problem. The problems are sociopolitical. The problems are unions. You plot the growth of the NEA [National Education Association] and the dropping of SAT scores, and they’re inversely proportional. The problems are unions in the schools. The problem is bureaucracy.

Granting the quote is from 1996 and many things have changed since then, it still might be interesting to keep in mind in light of tomorrow’s Apple (assumed) education announcement in New York City.


  • http://twitter.com/todd_dickerson Todd Dickerson

    Things have indeed changed a lot since 1996 – except in education. Time to shake things up.

  • http://twitter.com/rennerchris Chris Renner

    The only things that have change vis a vis education is that the same problems have gotten worse.  

  • Anonymous

    Gruber posted a quote from Jobs’ in his biography that would indicate Jobs changed his mind — big time.

  • D Pauw

    I think the heart of the issue is that a person needs to have the freedom to teach and learn. Sure, you can point at a lot of things that you think prevent this but that doesn’t solve the issue. Now things like the rumored expansion to iWork that allows you to essentially self-publish works that are superior to books in terms of interaction and cost is a step in the right direction. How many professors tell you’re they’re working on a text book? Imagine the app marketplace being applied to the current text book market. That would be interesting (not saying there wouldn’t be flaws). I’m cautiously excited for the announcement to see just what Apple has in mind.

  • His Shadow

    Maybe I’m not reading enough into this, but I believe we have two separate concepts being discussed here. One of them is how broken the textbook system is, and the other is how broken the educational system is broken. Technology can fix the textbook systems by taking power away from the publishers who sell their textbooks to schoolboards in the same way you’d sell a mop at a home show. Technology can’t fix broken administrations.

  • Anonymous

    I think Steve was basically right. Adding tech didn’t and won’t fix all the problems. iPads and computers don’t magically make kids learn better. They are tools that allow for mixing up styles etc and if used right they can help. But they have to be part of a varied toolbox. 

    Trouble is that many schools are moving to teaching to the tests so they can have high scores and get grants and such. Teachers are evaluated on the scores their kids get etc. There’s no more learning to learn or think. There’s also no more art, music etc because that’s not on the tests. 

  • http://twitter.com/MusickEd MusickEd.com

    Steve was right – but technology is already changing the way we learn and future learners (of all ages) will not accept the current traditional model of delivery presented by our ed. system.  That system will soon be obsolete under the weight of its own stubbornness to change….and good riddance. 

  • http://twitter.com/jemaleddin Jemaleddin Cole

    For the period that Jobs was discussing, it’s important to note that the SAT had to be revised several times.

    To be harder.