Honors classes allowed some kids to learn faster than others, so they were eliminated. Middle school algebra allowed some kids to learn faster than others, so it was eliminated. Now the verdict is in on computers: it turns out they allow some kids to learn faster than others. From the Washingtonian: "When studies of laptops filter the results by demographic, the better students tend not to be affected." “the negative effect of computer use is strong­est among male students and driven by weaker students as identified by their cumulative GPA.” You can already see the new narrative forming as the story tries to spin the dilemma: "What if spending the school day on a laptop hurts weaker students without benefiting stronger ones?" But this isn't true! Of course strong students benefit from computers. We have 3yos learning to read with @MentavaInc, 4th graders starting algebra thanks to Dreambox, and preschoolers learning to program with code dot org. This anti-excellence ideology is the same false framing used to eliminate honors classes, middle school algebra, gifted programs, ability grouping, and more. A new generation of educational software is emerging and it represents our best chance of finally giving our best and brightest students the support they need. Don't let anti-excellence activists eliminate technology too.