Has anyone worked at a school that scaled back its 1:1 tech program? How did it turn out?
We’ve started to roll it back.
Before 2020, we had take-home 1:1 for grades 6-12 and carts for grades 1-5. When COVID hit, we quickly expanded to take-home 1:1 for grades 1-12 and even added kindergarten in the fall of 2020.
Parents started pushing back over screen time concerns, and elementary teachers weren’t relying on tech as much outside the classroom, so by 2022 we went back to carts for grades K-4. Later, we decided to cut kindergarten tech completely, so now kids don’t use school devices until first grade.
Right now, we still have 1:1 carts in grades 1-4 and take-home 1:1 for grades 5-12. There’s talk of scaling it back more, but I’d be surprised if it happens.
How did it go? Parents are happier. Teachers are happier. IT staff is happier. We’re saving money. I spent 15 years pushing for full tech access, so it stings a little, but honestly, the downsides started to outweigh the benefits. I’ve made peace with it. 
So technically, your program is bigger than it was pre-COVID since 5th graders now take devices home.
How do 5th grade parents feel about their kids bringing devices home that young? We don’t start until middle school, and even that’s under fire because ‘they don’t have a fully developed prefrontal cortex.’
Yeah, we’ve expanded compared to before COVID but pulled back from the peak.
Honestly, I haven’t heard any complaints or praise from 5th grade parents. These kids were in kindergarten when we first started sending devices home in 2020. They didn’t have them then, but by 1st and 2nd grade, they did. So for them, it’s just normal. Most parents of 5th graders today don’t even remember a time when 1:1 wasn’t a thing.
If it were up to me, I’d probably wait until 6th grade, since that’s when they switch to a different building, and it feels like a natural transition. But 5th graders do a lot of project-based work that benefits from tech, and the teachers pushed to keep it take-home.
Not gonna lie… I’m not sure my own prefrontal cortex is fully developed either.