July 2005 — SETDA

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Fighting the Good Fight

By Mary Ann Wolf and Sara Hall

Can the ed tech community convince policymakers that states and districts desperately need dedicated technology funding to ensure no child is left behind?

According to Title II D: Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the states must show how technology will be integrated throughout all of their curriculum and instruction by Dec. 31, 2006. But the definition of “technology integration” has evolved significantly as its importance has increased. The term initially meant using technology in the classroom instead of only in a computer lab.

However, now the NCLB authors, as well as various leaders in technology and education, recognize that the integration of educational technology should be based upon the needs of students and communities and embedded in educational goals.

In the print and online editions of this month’s T.H.E. Journal, you can read about how states and districts around the nation have implemented programs to help close the achievement gap, ensure highly qualified teachers for all students, and facilitate the use of data for schools to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements. What is striking about the examples in these articles is that they describe and document powerful improvements in education and student learning with technology as a key integrated element.

Dedicated Technology Funding

There is growing evidence that, increasingly, technology is becoming an integral component of all education. Look no further than the State Educational Technology Directors Association’s (SETDA) 2005 National Trends Report (Metiri Group, 2005, www.setda.org/resources/NationalTrendsReport2005FINAL1.pdf) that covers the progress of the EETT program,which cites a tremendous number of states (78 percent) using technology for assessment, outreach to parents, and data-driven decision making. The report also shows that states and districts are targeting specific core content areas for educational technology spending. For instance, in alignment with the EETT priorities, 74 percent of states are focused on reading or writing, and 38 percent are focused on mathematics.

In business, providing technology funding is not even a question—companies understand the critical need for technology as a productivity, communication, and research tool. However, that is not always the case at all levels of education. The field of educational technology has received dedicated funding from the federal government, most recently through the EETT program which represents the primary source of funding for educational technology in many schools. Currently, 12 states do not receive any state-level funding for educational technology, while 81 percent of US districts receive EETT funds.

A rude awakening. In February, we received a true eye-opener when the Bush administration proposed eliminating all EETT funding.