You’ve heard me say this before — it really is the same argument as the one that underpins No Child Left Behind. Many parents and school communities want easy, tangible actions they can take in order to “protect” their kids from the unknown. It’s a lot easier to block sites and to ban software use than it is to teach students to be good digital citizens. Rather than guide students to to what’s right and to accept some responsibility for parenting (in loco parentis or otherwise) these young women and men, school communities would rather turn a blind eye after pointing out all of the faults and potential hazards that come with a powerful tool like social networking systems. Just as it is easier and neater to judge the success of an educational system based solely on exit exam scores, it is easier to forbid students to harness these new tools than it is to teach them and to trust them to use them responsibly. Instead, we should be utilizing these new tools to enhance our children’s education.

Well put. As a parent and board member, I could not agree with you more. Education is the foundation. Teach a kid.