Can technology fix the education crisis?

That John Doerr and Reed Hastings have invested in DreamBox Learning, a new educational startup should surprise no one. A few weeks ago, I attended a technology and education conference in Silicon Valley. As I'd expected, it was full of smart people who were excited about the ways in which technology could "solve" the "education crisis" confronting us. This has become a very hot topic, because American underachievement is a public embarrassment every three years when the OECD's PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) tables come out. The next one is due in 2012 and there's every reason to imagine the U.S. will, once again, be nowhere near the top.

The solution, of course - this being Silicon Valley - was technology: Specifically, software programs loaded with curriculum which enabled students to work at their own pace. In addition, much of the content could be structured like a game, making learning addictive. The ultimate vision, as articulated by Naveen Jain was a nation full of children curled up with their tablets, compelled to learn with their own personal electronic tutor, learning at their own pace, alone.

Really.

I fully recognize that we need to improve literacy and numeracy rates in the United States. But let's consider a few facts first.

1. The one thing we absolutely do know about learning is that what makes the difference is teaching. A McKinsey study into how the world's best performing schools achieve their results is clear: What makes the difference is the quality of the teachers.

2. Learning at your own pace does not require technology; it occurs in the un-streamed classrooms of Finland, a nation that regularly appears among the top three in the ranking of national educational achievement. Attainment there has nothing to do with technology; it has everything to do with good teaching, patience and the determination that no student will fail.

3. As Thomas Friedman points out in That Used to be Us, what distinguishes the higher achieving nations is that they do a better job of educating students from low-income families. Will technology really reach those that students schools can reach?

4. While employers do want technical expertise - especially in science and engineering - overwhelmingly what they look for is the ability to work with others: To collaborate, to be creative, to communicate. In other words, the social learning that occurs at school is a vital - not discretionary - part of the curriculum. When I asked IKEA President Anders Dahlvig what he looked for in employees, he was very clear: "Energy, social confidence, common sense, the ability to learn from experience. We have never recruited our leaders from outside and I think that has been a strength. All higher managers have a lot of experience. My view is that to become a good leader, you have to have deep experience of the business, a high energy level and be good with people."

I would add to that: A well-stocked mind and the moral courage to use it.

Can technology help? Of course it can. But the day we outsource education to tablets is the day we will have a true education crisis on our hands.