Although most Hawaii public school students have returned to campus for part of the week, online education continues to be a major way in which many children and youth are learning. Ninety scholars in Hawaii caution educational and policy leaders about the increased use of technology in education. The Hawaii Scholars for Education and Social Justice (HSESJ) cites research showing that students who attend school online demonstrate lower achievement than students receiving face-to-face instruction.

Technologies for online education can enhance teaching and learning, but the misuse of or overreliance on technology can exacerbate existing resource inequities in schools.

Before the pandemic, some schools had resources to meet the needs for connectivity — including computers, software, internet access and technical support — while others did not. Some students had homes with sufficient resources, while other students either lived in underresourced homes or experienced housing instability.

Nationwide in spring 2020, households that earned $100,000 annually or more almost universally had home broadband internet access; whereas, only 40% of households earning under $30,000 had such access and were also less likely to have home computers.

In Hawaii, prior to the pandemic, Native Hawaiians, Filipino Americans, those in special education, and in rural areas, had fewer qualified teachers, placing them at an educational disadvantage — which was compounded by less access to computers and the internet, and institutional capacity for online instruction.

The transition to online education further exacerbated these inequities. In June 2020, only 10% of Hawaii’s elementary teachers and 3% of middle and high school educators reported that all of their students participated consistently in remote learning. Additionally, the state Department of Education’s outsourcing of online education through a contract with Acellus Learning Accelerator, an unaccredited K-12 online curriculum, resulted in students being exposed to racist, sexist and religious materials.

Technology companies and philanthropists have promoted technology as a primary lever for change, not merely to enhance teaching. Profits from the technologizing of education are forecasted to grow exponentially.

Nationwide, K-12 school superintendents expressed concern about being inundated with too-frequent, aggressive and deceitful sales tactics by educational technology companies. As school districts braced themselves for anticipated cuts to budgets, educational technology companies set their sights on federal funding that targets education. As schools transition back to hybrid and on-campus instruction, they may be more susceptible to sales tactics that offer “solutions” that prey upon schools in underserved communities.

While tempting to adopt, nothing can replace learning through relationships facilitated by teachers.

We risk dehumanizing education when we overrely on technology. In Hawaii, family members cited children’s social and emotional needs as a prime concern during remote education. Research indicates that the quality of teachers has two to three times more influence on student outcomes, compared to other school-based factors, including facilities, services and leadership. Thus, it is teachers, rather than technology, that should be prioritized.

HSESJ recommends that Hawaii’s Legislature close tax loopholes, end subsidies for profitable corporations, and significantly increase taxes on the wealthy and on real estate investors in order to adequately and equitably fund pre K-12 public education. Federal, state and local governments should provide access to technologies for online education, including internet access, software and platforms.

We also recommend that schools support teachers in building humanizing relationships with students and communities. It is important that schools function inperson or online as community schools — institutions that integrate academic, health, and social services for children and community members, and that they receive adequate funding to do so.

Given Hawaii’s highly diverse student population, the persistent disadvantages in educational opportunities for marginalized groups of students, and concerns that corporate interventions widen inequities and injustices, our overall recommendation is to exercise the utmost caution with regard to the technologizing of public education.

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The full research brief can be accessed at www.hawaiischolars.weebly.com. HSESJ is a volunteer group of researchers in Hawaii who conduct, review and disseminate research related to education and social justice in Hawaii

Lois A. Yamauchi is at the University of Hawaii-Manoa; Colleen Rost-Banik is at Windward Community College; Margary Martin is at University of Hawaii-Hilo.