Far be it from me to ever say that Peter Grunwald is wrong; misinformed, maybe; jumping to conclusions, maybe; being provacative, maybe; but never wrong.
I think state leaders have acted in some ways, and in other ways, they don't feel it is appropriate to act. For example, some states, such as West Virginia, require school districts to adopt Acceptable Use Policies for use of the net, and provide sample policies. However, we are in a policy pendulum swing of local control. In Texas, what is an appropriate Acceptable Use Policy in Muleshoe or North Zulch may not be appropriate in Houston or Dallas or that last bastion of liberalness, Austin. I know that state leaders are engaged in thoughtful discussion about technology and education all the time. Discussion doesn't always end up as law or policy, which often is a good thing.
> So far, the national dialogue about effects of the Internet on children has been dominated by the extremes. Alarmists point to all the dangers presented by the Internet, and to the net’s supposed isolating effects on users. Cheerleaders focus exclusively on the net’s potential for learning and community-building, and often seem naive. The reality is probably in between, which suggests that educational leaders can – and should – shape the debate.

> But many educational influencers, especially on the state level, don’t seem to be engaging in the thoughtful discussion suggested by NSBF in its guidelines. State leaders are certainly absent in this forum. Seems to me their absence may mean the Internet debate will continue lurching between the two extremes, which won’t help kids. Maybe my perceptions are distorted by being too close to the NSBF study......Anyone out there want to show I’m wrong?

• Re: National Debate: Leaders Absent? Peter Grunwald, April 05, 2000 (0)