Schools blow $30 billion on laptops and tablets that wrecked Gen Z

U.S. schools spent $30 billion on educational technology in 2024, but Gen Z marks the first generation to score lower on tests than their parents.

The problem arises when schools treat tech as a lazy substitute for high-quality teaching. Corey DeAngelis is a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a senior fellow at Americans for Fair Treatment and a visiting fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He is the author of "The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools."

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.