SamTastic Weekly Tip: 4/20/26 - Researchers are Providing Reason to Pause and Reflect.
- Jim Mercer
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
As the push by vendors to use artificial intelligence in schools intensifies, researchers are providing reason to pause and reflect.
“Researchers have begun to correlate falling test scores in wealthy countries around the world with aggressive adoption of devices in schools (88 percent of American public schools now follow what’s known as the 1-to-1 policy, providing one laptop or tablet for every student). In the United States, math and reading scores among 13-year-olds peaked in 2012 and have declined since.
This has been the greatest blunder in the past decade of K-12 education: the decision to give every child a personal computer and to gamify everything from standardized test preparation to recess. Mistaken ideas about the nature of learning have combined with a hefty dose of Big Tech propaganda to distort our picture of what school is for. Technology must return to its proper place in the classroom — as a supplemental tool, rather than the source and summit of education.” Dr. Molly Worthen, University of North Carolina, New York Times, 4/19/26. Click here for the full article: https://bit.ly/4sCy3hX
The National SAM Innovation Board of Directors met last week. See a report from Board President Bert Hendee, below.
Your NSIP Board of Directors’ most recent meeting was held via Zoom Monday, April 13, 2026.
We were given updates from Mark Shellinger. At our July board meeting we will participate in our annual board self-evaluation and discuss the rubric assessment data. Be on the lookout in late summer or early fall for the application for a new board member.
As always we serve to help strengthen the organization and support you in the important work you do each and every day. If you have questions please feel free to reach out to any board member at any time. Our contact information is on the NSIP website.
It is budget time in most schools and districts. Be sure to include your SAM services for the 2026-27 school year. You can request an early invoice now by using this link: https://bit.ly/40GtA33
Consider budgeting for the 20th Annual National SAM Conference, too. The conference provides an opportunity to learn from SAM teams across the US and an amazing array of national and international speakers, authors and thought leaders in leadership, education, and psychology.
20th Annual National SAM Conference announcement video: https://www.wevideo.com/view/4003300281
What does a SAM conference look like? https://bit.ly/4cxGEw7