From No BS (Bad Stats) to No BT (Bad Tech): Reframing Educational Equity to Develop a Better Relationship with Technology in Schools

The Missed Visit and Missed Opportunity

When I was the executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, a whirlwind tour of colleges and universities was par for the course. During a planned visit to Alabama, an elementary school teacher heard about my trip and requested a detour – a chance for me to speak to her students. Excited by the prospect of connecting with young minds, I rearranged my packed schedule to make it happen.

However, the day of the visit, I received a disheartening phone call. The school had to cancel. Their reason? - Test prep.

“Test prep?” I opined. "We talkin' about practice?" I muttered, channeling Allen Iverson's infamous rant. But this wasn’t a game. It was a stark reminder of how our narrow definition of educational equity can suffocate opportunity, even with good, but guileless, intentions.

Now nearly 10 years later, with the exponential growth of digital technology, I realize why achieving digital equity is such a Sisyphean task. If we overlay technology onto a system obsessed with closing the achievement gap, we're not going to solve anything. We're just going to make the problem worse.

The Technology Delusion

The world is replete with educational technology innovations. The issue isn't a lack of invention, it's a lack of clarity about the problems we're trying to solve, or the opportunities we're trying to create.

If we believe the problem is that Black students in Tuscaloosa aren't scoring as high as White students on standardized tests, there's an app for that. If we believe the problem is that Black students lack access to opportunities to explore new places, interact with professionals who look like future versions of themselves, and find real-world applications for their schoolwork, there's an app for that too.

But just like we have Bad Stats (BS), a term I explore in my book, “No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People”, we also have Bad Tech (BT). Biases, often stemming from BS, can lead to BT. ?

The 'Achievement Gap' Trap

The challenge with implementing educational technology equitably lies in our myopic definition of "equity." By solely focusing on closing the achievement gap, we're caught in a deficit-based model that stifles our imagination.

If we see equity as merely a matter of test scores, our technology solutions become predictable and uninspiring. We flood students with adaptive platforms that drill them on multiple-choice questions, potentially exacerbating test anxiety and narrowing the curriculum. We become obsessed with comparing schools and student groups based on test scores, reinforcing deficit narratives and potentially leading to harmful labeling.

This approach doesn't address the root causes of inequity and might even widen the gap by ignoring the richness and diversity of student experiences.

The 'Opportunity Gap' Lens

Now, let's reframe the issue. What if we acknowledge the stark differences in opportunities available to students from different backgrounds? Suddenly, technology's potential becomes much more exciting:

• Virtual reality field trips: Imagine providing students who've never left their neighborhood with immersive experiences of museums, historical sites, and even different countries. This bridges the experiential gap and opens new worlds of learning.
• Online mentoring and networking platforms: Connect students from socially, culturally, and economically diverse (SCED) communities with professionals in their fields of interest, providing access to role models, internships, and career guidance they might not otherwise have.
• Digital storytelling and multimedia projects: Empower students to share their unique stories, perspectives, and cultural heritage through digital platforms, amplifying marginalized voices and fostering a sense of belonging in the classroom.

Addressing Systemic Issues is Crucial

Technology is a powerful tool, but it's not neutral. If we overlay it onto a broken system riddled with inequities, we risk amplifying those inequities instead of dismantling them.

Consider this:

• Algorithms trained on biased data sets will perpetuate those biases. For example, if a school discipline system already disproportionately targets Black boys, using an algorithm based on that data will only worsen the problem.
• Access without relevant content is meaningless. Providing a student with a laptop and internet access won't help if the available digital learning materials don't reflect their culture, language, or learning style.

We must first address the root causes of educational inequity – issues of racism, poverty, segregation, and lack of access – before we can effectively leverage technology for transformative change. This requires a multifaceted approach. Only then can technology become a powerful tool for liberation, empowering all students to reach their full potential.

Conclusion: From BS to BT to Becoming Better

Let’s shift our focus from Bad Stats and Bad Tech to becoming Better Humans—utilizing technology not as a tool for standardized success but as a catalyst for human growth and connection. It's time to reimagine what's possible, recognizing that technology doesn't just serve us; it shapes us.

The real test lies not in the results of standardized exams but in the depth of our relationships, the breadth of our experiences, and the richness of our understanding. Can we offer those Alabama students—and all students—the opportunity to engage with technology in ways that foster curiosity, empathy, and a lifelong love of learning?

We must have the courage and vision to reframe our understanding of equity, to see technology not as a means to an end but as a partner in our journey of becoming. Only then can we harness its true power to build an educational system—and a world—worthy of all our children. We need a future where technology doesn't just level the playing field but expands the stadium, cultivating a deeper connection to ourselves, each other, and the world.

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Dr. Ivory A. Toldson is the Chief of Research for Concentric Educational Solutions, a professor of counseling psychology at Howard University, and the editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education. He is the author of Brill bestseller, "No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People."