Ever since we got our first Macintosh computer in 1989 our family has been quite devoted to Apple products (currently our household boasts four Macs, an iPhone, five or six iPods, and an Apple TV). Peter and I even regularly read blogs devoted to Apple news and commentary. One of things these sorts of blogs do occasionally is report news stories about companies or school boards ordering huge quantities of Mac computers. (This is a holdover from the grim years in the 90s when Apple was tanking and Mac devotees desperately grabbed at any indication that someone—anyone!—thought the products were worth getting.)

Thus the “Apple press” noted a recent article in the New York Times by Alan Schwarz, which described a program in an elementary school district in Mooresville, North Carolina, that basically replaced most classroom learning materials by laptop computers. The board issued MacBooks to 4,400 4th to 12th graders in five schools. The results were stunning: (all quotes from the NY Times article)

The district’s graduation rate was 91 percent in 2011, up from 80 percent in 2008. On state tests in reading, math and science, an average of 88 percent of students across grades and subjects met proficiency standards, compared with 73 percent three years ago.…Mooresville ranks 100th out of 115 districts in North Carolina in terms of dollars spent per student … but it is now third in test scores and second in graduation rates.

The learning process was also changed considerably, with the students using individualized software modules and learning at their own pace. Teachers taught students on a more individualized basis, with more of their time spent on weaker students. This had good results in surprising areas:

…[weaker students don’t have to] struggle at the blackboard in front of the class; this dynamic has helped children with learning disabilities to participate and succeed in mainstream classes.

The tech press and computer geek takeaway from this seems to be that computers in classrooms = good. But these admittedly stellar results aren’t just the result of computers per se; they also required a complete overhaul of the educational method, which necessitated some sacrifices (often unpleasant ones) to fund the program:

Sixty-five jobs were eliminated, including 37 teachers, which resulted in larger class sizes — in middle schools, it is 30 instead of 18 — but district officials say they can be more efficiently managed because of the technology. Some costly items had become obsolete (like computer labs), though getting rid of others tested the willingness of teachers to embrace the new day: who needs globes in the age of Google Earth? …

Many students adapted to the overhaul more easily than their teachers, some of whom resented having beloved tools — scripted lectures, printed textbooks and a predictable flow through the curriculum — vanish. The layoffs in 2009 and 2010, of about 10 percent of the district’s teachers, helped weed out the most reluctant… others [had to be convinced] that the technology would actually allow for more personal and enjoyable interaction with students.

“You have to trust kids more than you’ve ever trusted them … Your teachers have to be willing to give up control.”

And that, not the laptops, is the crux of the argument. To implement a sea change like this you have to make sure enough people are onboard with it, teachers, parents, students and board alike. Assuming there wasn’t a huge kerfuffle regarding the mass layoffs (and with 10% getting canned how could there not be), the remaining staff (no doubt suffering drooping morale due to the firings and imposed changes) would be required to completely reinvent their teaching techniques, which is hard for employees in any field. Creating such a huge reliance on computers could be tough for many staffers—especially for ones unadept with technology—without a lot of support and encouragement from appropriate quarters. Administrators have to be forward-thinking and inclusive: The Mooreville board negotiated a deal so that poor families could buy broadband internet access at home for $10 a month.

The story about Mooreville’s schools is interesting, but it’s more than just a story about a school board giving Mac computers to all the kids. It’s about a school program that underwent an all-encompassing change in educational strategy and managed to make it work. And that is the great achievement.