By Caroline Porter
LOS ANGELES--The country's second-largest school district is
taking another step to back away from an ambitious school
technology project, ending its use of content produced by Pearson
PLC that was planned for the district's personal devices.
The effort, which was known as the Common Core Technology
Project and projected to cost at least $1.3 billion, aimed to
outfit every student in the school district with an iPad or laptop
computer using voter-approved bonds. Apple Inc. provided iPads to
the district and provided curriculum through subcontractor
Pearson.
In a letter to Apple dated April 13, the Los Angeles Unified
School District spelled out its aims to halt new deliveries of
Pearson Education Inc. curriculum and to stop the use of Pearson
products by June 30. The letter also asks for a meeting this month
to discuss a refund for some products that were deemed
unusable.
The district hasn't said how much money they are asking for, and
it is unclear whether Pearson or Apple would pay, according to a
district spokeswoman. The district has spent about $103 million on
the project so far.
"Pearson is proud of our long history working with LAUSD and our
significant investment in this groundbreaking initiative to
transform instructional practices and raise expectations for all
students," said Pearson's Stacy Skelly, vice president of corporate
affairs. "This was a large-scale implementation of new technologies
and there have been challenges with the initial adoption, but we
stand by the quality of our performance."
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Former Superintendent John Deasy pushed the program, which
blends online instruction with brick-and-mortar schools, and hailed
it as a modern way to improve equity in schooling. Tablets were
first distributed in the summer of 2013, and various controversies
have cropped up since then, including an investigation by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation that began last year.
Students removed security measures in the devices, allowing
greater access to the Internet, teachers initially reported
confusion about teaching with the technology and a school board
committee investigation raised questions about its
implementation.
"LAUSD is extremely dissatisfied with the work of Pearson," said
the letter, which was signed by David R. Holmquist, general counsel
for the school district.
Recently, Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines formed a committee to
strategize a new plan for technology in the classroom.
News Corp, which owns Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall
Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, competes with Pearson's
book-publishing, business-news and education divisions.
Write to Caroline Porter at caroline.porter@wsj.com
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