Why Education Is Important

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Brain development requires physical play and effortful cognition.

Effort changes the brain and body.

Non‑effort also changes the brain and body.

Learning and education are inherently effortful and sustained cognitive engagement.

After two decades of application, significant financial investment, and associated research, evidence accumulated over the past twenty years indicates that the extensive social and educational introduction of computers into classrooms has resulted in a measurable decline in students’ academic and cognitive abilities.

These results clarify the need for pedagogical, educational, and technological resources to be aligned with principles that strengthen the universal cognitive capacities required for learning. These capacities—such as sustained attention, working memory, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning—depend on effortful, self‑initiated engagement, a process shown to rely on the allocation and regulation of mental effort in learning contexts (Grund et al., 2024).

Research further demonstrates that environments that cultivate disciplined thinking, sustained cognitive application, and the systematic acquisition of knowledge are essential for developing students’ academic and social potential (Liu et al., 2024).

Studies examining classroom environments also show that structured, knowledge‑rich, and cognitively demanding learning conditions consistently support robust intellectual development. When these conditions are not fully present, research indicates that students tend to display lower levels of effort and cognitive engagement, which, in turn, lead to lower cognitive, academic, and overall educational potential (Khany & Barzan, 2025).

The Origins of the Digital Classroom Movement

Further to this, Rogelberg (2026) reported that a broad social educational enterprise towards classroom digitisation began in 2002, when Maine launched the first statewide one‑to‑one laptop program.

According to her report, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative distributed 17,000 laptops in its first year and expanded this to 66,000 devices by 2016. However, subsequent analysis indicated that by 2017, Maine’s academic test scores – in terms of advancing educational potential – had not improved.

First Generation to Score Lower Than Its Predecessor

The report by Rogelberg (2026) noted that neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in 2026, drawing on global data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other standardised measures to discuss these results. Rogelberg reported that Horvath informed that Gen Z is the first generation in modern U.S. history to score lower than its predecessor.

Further to this, Rogelberg (2026), noting an OECD (2023) study, found that this cognitive decline spanned literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving, which are core indicators of cognitive capability. Crucially, Rogelberg notes that Horvath emphasised a strong correlation between........

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