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Q&A Of The Day – Should Florida Have Cameras In Classrooms? Part 2
Bottom Line: Bill Gates, and the Gates Foundation, has been the biggest supporter of cameras inside of the classroom for the purpose of improving education over the past decade. In fact, the Gates Foundation has funded a handful of classroom camera projects across the country. In 2013 Bill Gates suggested all teachers in the US be videotaped. Quoting Gate’s Ted Talk: We all need feedback, that’s how we improve. Unfortunately, there’s one group of people who get almost no systematic feedback to help them do their jobs better. And these people have one of the most important jobs in the world. I’m talking about teachers. Even for those who are resistant to cameras in the classroom it’s hard to argue his point. Are teachers better off without feedback? Are parents better served by relying solely on what their kids do or don’t tell them? As he pointed out in his talk, 98% of teachers receive one word of feedback and it’s the same word, satisfactory.
Gates estimated it’d cost $5 billion to implement camera systems in all classrooms – which he was happy to assist with. With strong general backlash by the education establishment and teachers' unions his call didn’t get very far. To date, Tennessee has been the most open to the prospect (though the teacher’s unions – led by the NEA have been opposed). So back to where I started. Prior to remote learning during the pandemic, I think the discussion would have been far more challenging than it should be today. These are “public” schools and our children. It doesn’t sound unreasonable for parents to be able to monitor what really happens in the classroom.
While vastly different professions, the implementation of police body cams has shown to reduce use of police force by 50%, fewer complaints filed against police, and a 39% quicker resolution to disputes. Basically, better behavior. It’s reasonable to expect that teachers which might be inclined to take educational liberties with our children would be less likely to do so if they knew they were being monitored. If you’d like cameras in classrooms – beyond the special needs pilot program in Broward - it won’t come easily but advocating to your state representative and state senator is a good place to start.