July 2005 — SETDA
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Fighting the Good Fight
Since then, educators from states, districts, and schools have worked to engage policymakers in restoring this critical source of funding. At the same time, many of us also had to accept that we have not provided enough information or data on the impact that educational technology has in schools beyond the actual physical placement of computers and access into classrooms. The situation has provided us with an opportunity to home in on the impact of educational technology on increased student learning. In some ways, the cut to EETT funds is exactly the push we needed.A Community Challenge
In the last few months, SETDA and its members have taken a leadership role in helping legislators, corporations, and all education stakeholders more effectively understand and communicate technology’s vital role in closing the achievement gap, developing highly qualified teachers, and using data effectively for accountability.
We talk about data-driven decision-making in education, but we must do a better job of using our own data to show decision-makers the important outcomes of fully using educational technology throughout education. With this in mind, I challenge each of you to do the following:
- Read the articles in both the print and Web versions of the July issue to learn about how states are working with districts to improve student learning.
- Consider your own programs and the data that you have. Share this information with those outside of the educational technology community, especially school board members and legislators.
- Force yourself to answer the question about how educational technology impacts education and NCLB.
Finally, as a community, we must be forward-looking to ensure sustained educational technology funding at the district, state, and federal levels of government. In business, this is commonly a percentage of operational costs or a ratio based on number of employees; to date, this has not been the case for education. The business way may not be the precise way for education to apportion sustained funding for technology, but it is a place to start the discussion.
The educational technology community’s fight for EETT funding is only the beginning. We need to demonstrate that educational technology is indispensable to other federal programs, state budgeting processes, as well as to district and school planning. As we share the data and results with all education stakeholders, the proof must begin with you.
Mary Ann Wolf is SETDA’s director of leadership, planning, and policy. Sara Hall is SETDA’s director of strategic relations. For more information on SETDA, log on to www.SETDA.org.
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