Toward A New Golden Age In American Education
HOW THE INTERNET, THE LAW AND TODAY’S STUDENTS ARE REVOLUTIONIZING EXPECTATIONS
National Education Technology Plan 2004
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. Department of Education
Rod Paige
Secretary
Office of the Deputy Secretary
Eugene Hickok
Deputy Secretary
Office of Educational Technology
Susan Patrick
Director, Office of Educational Technology
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Toward A New Golden Age In American Education
HOW THE INTERNET, THE LAW AND TODAY’S STUDENTS ARE REVOLUTIONIZING EXPECTATIONS
Table Of Contents
Letter from the Secretary 4
Executive Summary 6
A Nation on the Move 9
Improvements Will Be Dramatic 10
Where We Are Today 12
Who Are Our Students? 16
What Are They Telling Us? 19
Tear Down Those Walls: The Revolution Is Underway 22
Success Stories from Schools That Are Leading the Way 23
State Initiatives 30
The Explosion in E-Learning and Virtual Schools 34
The Impact of No Child Left Behind 37
A National Education Technology Plan: The Future Is Now 39
Seven Major Action Steps and Recommendations 39
Conclusions 45
Appendices 47
A. Joint Federal Activities Promoting the Use of Technology in Education 48
B. How This Plan Was Developed 51
C. Acknowledgements 61
D. Endnotes 63
January 2005
Dear Members of Congress:
As required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, I am pleased to submit our vision and recommendations for a National Education Technology Plan.
This report is based on thoughtful input we have received from literally thousands of students, educators, administrators, technology experts and officials of numerous educational organizations. It also builds on the recommendations submitted to you by Secretary Richard W. Riley in 1996 and 2000.
As you may recall from previous statements I have made on this issue, our schools have generally trailed other areas of our society in exploring the many opportunities offered by technology. Too often, schools have simply applied technology to existing ways of teaching and learning, with marginal results in student achievement. I am pleased to report that this is now changing quite significantly. Teachers and students are transforming what can be done in schools by using technology to access primary sources, expose our students to a variety of perspectives, and enhance the overall learning experience through multimedia, simulations and interactive software. At the same time, teachers, principals and administrators are able to better track student achievement and adjust instruction more effectively to individual needs.
As detailed in this report, we are already seeing some remarkable results, driven by better use of existing technology and, to an important extent, by the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act, which asks all of us to raise expectations and produce results. There is a new fervor in American education, a new creativity – driven in part by this generation of tech-savvy students – which I believe bodes well for the future of our country.
I thank you for your continued interest and support in the vital task before us. I believe you will find this report both interesting and encouraging. As always, I look forward to continuing to work with you to turn multiple opportunities for success into reality for ournation’s nearly 50 million students.
Sincerely,
Rod Paige
Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
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