( CNN ) -- Tech visionary Steve Jobs understood better than anyone the impulse to believe that technology can solve our most complex societal problems . `` Unfortunately it just ai n't so , '' he said . `` We need to attack these things at the root , which is people and how much freedom we give people . ... I wish it was as simple as giving it over to the computer . '' That 's certainly true when it comes to education , particularly in impoverished communities . As a founder of two organizations that recruit top college graduates to expand educational opportunity , I 've spent a lot of time examining what 's at work in successful classrooms and schools over the past two decades . In every classroom where students are excelling against the odds , there 's a teacher who 's empowered her students to work hard to realize their potential . Whenever I ask the leaders of successful schools their secret , the answer is almost always the same : people , people , people . They are obsessed with recruiting and developing the best teams . Research confirms that great teachers change lives . Students with one highly effective elementary school teacher are more likely to go to college , less likely to become pregnant as teens and earn tens of thousands more over their lifetimes . Faced with the choice between giving every child in a school his or her own laptop or putting 30 of them in a classroom with one exceptional teacher , there 's no question which is the better investment . So it 's disappointing to see more and more people herald technology as an educational panacea while dismissing the indispensable role of people . In a recent article on this site , Richard Galant asked whether we 'd be better off ditching teachers , giving kids computers and leaving them to their own devices to teach themselves and each other . The idea is based on the work of Sugata Mitra , an education professor who set up an experiment in India where he gave children in the slums access to a `` computer in the wall '' and found that without guidance , they were soon using it to learn on their own . Galant 's piece could leave the impression that teachers are obsolete and that their main function is to enforce discipline and administer tests . ( Instead of spending money on teachers , Mitra recruits cheerleading `` grannies , '' older women from the UK who offer the kids words of praise and encouragement via Skype . ) The idea that computers can ever replace teachers and schools reveals a deep lack of understanding about the role leadership plays in student success . When Anam Palla started teaching ninth and 10th grades at an all-girls school in Pakistan , her students were performing four years behind grade level and many considered themselves nalaiq ( incapable ) . She set a mission that each of her girls would gain the skills and self-confidence to become contributing members of society . `` My first task was to build a sense of responsibility in the girls towards their own learning and success , which would be achieved by collaborating with other members of the class and the community at large , '' she says . Today , here students are not only thriving academically , they are empowered and independent young women . Now , I 'm no Luddite . Technology has enormous potential to address educational needs more efficiently , help teachers improve their performance and enrich and individualize student learning . Indeed , in places such as India that face massive underserved populations and a shortage of qualified teachers , it 's hard to imagine making a dent without leveraging technology in a big way . But we must be wary of concluding that we should focus our energy on technology rather than people . Computers can not create a culture of excellence and push students to meet high expectations . Computers can not visit students ' homes to get to know their families and engage them in their progress . Computers can not raise money and organize college visits to show students who have never left their communities what they 're working toward . Technology is a tool , not a silver bullet . And like all tools , it can be helpful or harmful depending on how we use them . Rocketship Education , a high-performing charter network that serves low-income students in California , uses technology to enhance -- not replace -- the work that teachers are doing . Students spend up to two hours a day in a computer learning lab mastering basic math and reading skills through exercises and puzzles , freeing up teachers to spend their time on advanced skills and concepts . The schools invest the money they save through computer learning back into teacher salaries and coaching . At Rocketship , technology strengthens the personal ties between students , parents and teachers that are the key to its success . Children growing up in poverty need all the support and nurturing from adults that they can get . If we want a real revolution in education , we should make an all-out effort to attract and keep our best people in our schools . Technology can be a powerful force in that effort when guided by leaders who understand what students and teachers need to do their best . We ca n't outsource the human connections at the heart of the learning experience . Transforming the lives and learning of our children will take more than machines . It will take the best of our human resources . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Wendy Kopp .
Wendy Kopp : I think the problem is that we have a lot of people who are not really interested in what it means to be an American. She says in education , teachers make the difference when kids excel against the odds . A CNN.com article presented idea that kids could learn mainly with computers . She says research shows kids with one effective grade school teacher achieve on many levels .