January 2004 — Web/Net
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Tips for Getting Your Technology Projects Funded
With the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Enhancing Education Through Technology Initiative (Ed Tech), the application and administration of federally funded programs has and continues to change. The changes from NCLB directly affect state funding for technology, especially as that funding trickles down from the federally mandated act. NCLB also has had an effect on funding from various foundations. We will first look at these funding sources, and then look at specific steps you should take in applying for money through grants. Two points are important no matter what grant or source of funding you are looking at:
1. Follow directions. This includes everything from large concerns such as being sure to address the goals of the grant or foundation as they request, to small concerns such as the number of words allowed for each section.
2. Think about the long term. We address this under sustainability, but remember that very few grants provide funding for the life of the project. What will you do when the grant monies run out?
Federal and State Funding
One of the changes in federal and state funding since the enactment of NCLB includes the increased focus on academic achievement in nearly every grant program. Some educational programs were impacted by funding cuts while others were combined into a single program. The administrations of some educational and technology-based programs have also changed. The most recent and significant change is the creation of the Advanced Education Technology Initiative last October between the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Commerce. As a result of this initiative, an Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Advanced Technologies for Education and Training was formed to foster development, application and deployment of advanced technologies in education and training in the United States.
The IWG is co-chaired by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology and the Department of Education's Director of Educational Technology, and will report to the National Science and Technology Council's Committees on Technology and Science. The IWG will examine U.S. research and development investments in advanced technologies for education and training, as well as barriers that inhibit technological innovations in these areas. Grant writers applying for federal funds that incorporate technology to achieve outcomes should stay abreast of the finding of the IWG, which may directly impact future federal funding for technology in education.
The 2001 Ed Tech program focuses on several purposes that directly impact the requirements for technology-based, federally funded educational projects. These purposes can be reviewed in detail on the Ed Tech Web site for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology ( www.ed.gov/programs/edtech/guidance.doc). The primary goal of Ed Tech is to improve academic achievement through the use of technology in elementary and secondary schools. Secondary goals are to ensure that every student is technologically literate by the end of grade eight, as well as to ensure that every teacher is able to effectively integrate technology throughout curriculum and instruction to improve student achievement.
