Hilary Kong testifies on AI tutors, digital benchmarks, and lack of parent voice
Hilary Kong, a parent, describes her daughter using an AI reading tutor in first grade, digital math games and art benchmarks on devices, and the lack of meaningful parent engagement in technology policy decisions at her school.
Thank you.
Our next panel is Hilary Kong, Celeste Elias, Ethan Sachs, and Adriana Alicia.
Hi, my name is Hillary.
I'm a parent of a five and an eight year old, and the examples I'm giving today is from a school that my children no longer go to.
My daughter read with an AI tutor in first grade.
Our admin explained that Amira was DOE vetted and approved, and my daughter was put to use it because she finished her reading curriculum early.
A few weeks later, a flyer for a digital math game came home in my child's backpack.
It says, research shows that love of math and test scores increase with more time spent on this app.
Digital art apparently is also one of the DOE benchmarks.
Art, math, reading are all ending
up on a device.
Who created these benchmarks?
Who from the DOE does this research?
Just saying research shows tells us nothing about who funded and completed the research, what was studied, the effect size, what we should or could interpret from this research.
I've also learned of an over-prioritization on scores and testing.
Students are reading less books.
These online tests are designed to have students read short excerpts, and we wonder why our kids don't have the stamina to read full books anymore.
Tests on a screen forces a child's brain to handle two things at once, figuring out the test questions and navigating the computer program.
Young children should focus on the material, the work, the learning.
We need to bring back tests on paper.
Lastly, there was no place for conversations over technology policies to happen at our school.
When parents asked questions, we were told that we don't trust our teachers.
We were invited to join a working group that happened monthly and painfully in the evenings.
Many parents thought it was a way to drown out the voices.
A smaller steering committee also formed that strategically excluded
those who had a strong or educated opinion.
I urge our city to make good choices about who we trust to make decisions about the safety and the future of our children.
Who forms the technology coalition?
Do they have a material stake in the outcome?
Because the parents, educators, and students here advocating
Our stakes are ethical, mental, and environmental.
Thank you.