A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Objective 1.7. Schools use advanced technology for all students and teachers to improve education.

The "four pillars" of the President's Educational Technology Challenge--(1) professional development for effective use of educational technology; (2) student classroom access to modern multimedia computers; (3) classroom connections to the Information Superhighway; and (4) integration of technology for improved teaching and learning to high standards--work to ensure that no child is left behind.

Educational technology continues to be a high priority and we have made significant progress on our goals to put modern computers in our classrooms and connect them to the information superhighway. With increasing access to computers and telecommunications, we must be sure that teachers also have the training and support they need to effectively use this investment.

In response to this significant need, the Administration's educational technology FY 99 investments will place special emphasis on technology training for teachers, to ensure that all new teachers entering the workforce can use technology effectively in the classroom and that there is at least one teacher who can serve as a technology expert in every school to help other teachers use technology. In addition, the FY 99 budget request provides funding for new research and expanding the role of technology for life long learning.

Key strategies for FY 1999

• Financial support for leveraging State and local initiatives for effective use of educational technology.
  • Use the $475 million request for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund to support more grants to local districts to expand efforts to train teachers, get computers, connect schools to the internet, and develop and buy software.
  • Encourage states to devote at least 30 percent of the funds to provide teachers with the professional development they need to use technology effectively in the classroom.

• Teacher training and support to effectively integrate information technology into their teaching.
  • Use the $75 million Teacher Training in Technology initiative to make grants to states, teacher colleges, and other organizations to help ensure that all new teachers can use technology effectively in the classroom.
  • Utilize a portion of the $106 million request for Technology Innovation Challenge Grants to support 24 new awards to local partnerships among educators, business, and industry aimed at developing or adapting technology to improve the quality of teaching.
  • Report on current teacher preparation programs and encourage higher education institutions to incorporate technology literacy and classroom application in coursework for entering teachers.

• Technology connections, especially for high-poverty and rural schools.
  • Encourage schools to greatly expand their use of technology through the E-Rate, or universal service program, created under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The E-Rate offers schools and libraries discounts of from 20 to 90 percent--worth as much as $2.25 billion a year--on Internet services and networking hardware and software.
  • Monitor progress of school and library applications for E-Rate and provide technical assistance and dissemination of information regarding E-Rate.
  • Encouraging targeting of Technology Literacy Challenge Fund resources to LEAs with high poverty and the greatest need for educational technology.

• Effective software and on-line applications.
  • Identify and disseminate information on promising content-based projects in educational technology programs.
  • Through interagency effort, make hundreds of Internet-based education resources, supplied by the U.S. Federal government, easier for teachers and students to find.

• Information for performance improvement.
  • Develop evaluations and program indicators that provide information on progress on the 4 pillars and on program effectiveness in using educational technology to improve teaching and learning for all students.

Coordination

• Work with the Federal Communications Commission and the Schools and Libraries Corporation to effectively implement effective use of the E-Rate.
• Work with the Office of Science and Technology Policy to complete interagency action plan on learning technologies research and development.
• Work with state technology coordinators, businesses, foundations and other groups to support and monitor progress on the educational technology goals.

Programs supporting this objective

Selected performance indicators and charts

The ratio of students per modern multimedia computer will improve to 5:1 by 2001. (Goal 1, indicator 40)

Indicator background and context. The ratio of students to computers was 9 to 1 in 1995. This fell to 7 to 1 in 1996. High poverty schools often have more students sharing a computer. The number of students per multimedia computer was 21.1 in 1997.

Data source. Advanced Telecommunications Survey, MDR, QED.

The percentage of public school instructional rooms connected to the Information Superhighway will increase from 14% in 1996 to 25% in 1998, and higher percentages thereafter. (Goal 1; indicator 41)

Indicator background and context. The number of instructional rooms in public schools connected to the Information Superhighway grew from 3% in 1994 to 8% in 1995, to 14% in 1996.

Data source. NCES Advanced Telecommunications.

Verification/validation of performance measures: Independent evaluations conducted by the Planning and Evaluation Service will report on the federal technology programs at the state, local, and school levels. Statistically valid national surveys of technology implementation will be obtained through the National Center for Education Statistics. Independent expert groups in the technology field will provide guidance on measurement and reporting of results.

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[Objective 1.6]

[Objective 2.1]