Get Connected - April 2008 - (Page 8)

Decry Proposed Elimination of Enhancing Education Through Technology Program A coalition of education groups have objected strongly to President Bush’s decision to eliminate all funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology program (EETT) in his proposed FY09 Budget and issued these statements following the February 4 budget proposal release: “While other countries are hitting the accelerator by infusing education technology into classrooms, the Bush Administration has our nation stuck in reverse,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). “Last year, the Australian Labour Party swept into power by pledging to provide a computer for every high school student—a recognition of education technology’s centrality to preparing students for the 21st century global workforce. Today, the U.S. Department of Education proposes to zero out the federal government’s only direct investment in education technology by eliminating all funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program in FY09. The Consortium for School Networking urges the Administration to reverse this unfortunate decision and start preparing our students for the future by investing in education technology today.” Don Knezek, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) stated: “With the job market tightening and student test scores stagnating, I am shocked that President Bush has decided, yet again, to eliminate funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology program. EETT provides our students with the technological skills and know-how to not only compete for employment in a tough job market but to learn how to develop innovative solutions to modern problems and create jobs in our country. Moreover, 8 a number of U.S. Department of Education studies have shown that students are benefiting from EETT-supported systemic reform programs that make strong use of technology. President Bush—now is not the time to take from our students the tools and knowledge that they need to achieve in the employment and academic worlds. Please reconsider.” “Although history shows that President Bush does not support the Enhancing Education Through Technology program despite the strong scientifically-based research results demonstrating significant gains in student achievement, it is still shocking that the reality of a slowing economy and America’s lagging results in the international PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests have not convinced President Bush of the importance of actually maximizing the potential of technology in our schools,” said Mary Ann Wolf, executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). “Data shows that EETT makes a big difference, and SETDA respects Congress’ continual understanding and investment in this program. We once again look to Congress to ensure that the tremendous gains from EETT will continue in 2009.” According to Julie McCargar, Ed. D., the executive director of Federal Programs for the Tennessee Department of Education, half of its EETT state grants go directly to Local Education Agencies (LEAs or school districts), many of which spend all of the money on professional development for teachers in order to learn to better integrate technology into their classroom. The other 50 percent of the funding goes to discretionary grants that have developed, implemented and tested Tennessee’s virtual high school courses (visit www.e4tn.org/cms/ to learn more). In Indiana, these federal funds go to inACCESS, a highly successful program that purchases low-cost computers and monitors and utilizes open-source software to reach over 18,000 students a day in an effort to increase student access to technology in Indiana classrooms. Education Leaders There is a way to make your voice heard on this issue. The Ed Tech Action Network (ETAN; www.edtechactionnetwork.org), a grassroots advocacy network created by CoSN and ISTE, provides you with a “direct line to Washington” so that you can take action on important education technology policies such as the proposed EETT budget cuts. By clicking here, you will be able to e-mail your representatives in the House and Senate and tell them exactly what you think about this critical issue. For Additional Information About CoSN, ISTE and SETDA: The Consortium for School Networking: www.cosn.org The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE): www.iste.org The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA): www.setda.org http://www.e4tn.org/cms/ http://www.edtechactionnetwork.org http://capwiz.com/edtech/issues/alert/?alertid=10948736&type=CO http://www.cosn.org http://www.iste.org http://www.setda.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Get Connected - April 2008

The End of a Bottleneck: OCPS’ New Network Contents A Letter From the President Not Your Average Library: New Carlisle, IN New Consortium Program Launches May 1 Hands-on Education Education Leaders Decry EETT Cuts Much More Than E-mail: Gaggle’s Other Apps Notes From the CTO

Get Connected - April 2008

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