K-12 Tech Trends :: December 13, 2006

Opinion

No Child Left Behind, Version 2.0

As the lame-duck 109th Congress struggles with trying to pass legislation before time runs out in this session, the newly elected members of the House and Senate are wrestling with trying to find their parking places and learn about franking privileges. Meanwhile, every segment of American society is wondering how the new Congress will affect it.

The education and technology sector is no different. President Bush has recommended zeroing out Title II-D of No Child Left Behind, Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT), and the outgoing House is following his lead. The Senate still has $275 million in its ed tech budget. While a change in congressional leadership may be good for the ed tech industry— things can’t get much worse—a Senate staffer has warned that there will not be a lot of new money in whatever budget may be crafted by the new Congress.

One message that seems to be coming forth consistently is that the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act will be taken up on schedule during the 110th Congress. Indicating the seriousness of their intentions, legislators are beginning to set up field hearings (outside the Beltway) on NCLB. They are looking to gather ideas about what is working well with the law, what is not working, and what needs to be amended...

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News Briefs

Gateway Signs $2.2 Million Contract With Illinois State Board of Education

Gateway Inc. is earning high marks with the announcement of a $2.2 million agreement with the Illinois State Board of Education...

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Virginia High School, Orbital Partner for First-Ever Small Satellite Build

Orbital Sciences Corp. and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) of Alexandria, VA, have announced a partnership that will result in the first small satellite to be developed and built entirely by high school students...

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Oracle Education Foundation Leverages Adobe Software Donation to Benefit Students Worldwide

The Oracle Education Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit organization funded by Oracle, recently announced that Adobe Systems Inc. will donate creative software to the foundation’s ThinkQuest program...

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NWEA Names Matt Chapman President, CEO

Matt Chapman was recently named president and chief executive officer of the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA)...

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By the Numbers

Study Says K-12 Teachers Spend $475 in Personal Funds on Classroom Materials

Quality Education Data (QED), a division of Scholastic Inc., has released a study that says K-12 teachers spend, on average, personal funds amounting to $475 per year on classroom supplies and materials. Between elementary, middle, and high school teachers, elementary school teachers spend the most, coming in at $539. Middle and high school teachers spend $393 and $427, respectively. The study also shows teachers spend personal funds on student rewards, classroom decorations, and “professional materials,” while school funds are used to purchase computer software and workbooks...

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Show Me the Money

HP Kicks Off K-12 Grant Program

HP has launched an initiative that will award grants totaling $3.9 million in cash and HP equipment to K-12 public schools in the United States and Puerto Rico...

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Products & Services

Insightix Releases Improved Network Access Control Solution

Insightix has just released Insightix NAC 3.0, which offers a straightforward approach for implementing a complete and real-time network access control policy across an entire enterprise network...

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Toshiba Intros 100 GB, 1.8-Inch Hard Drive

Toshiba has introduced a new 100 GB, 1.8-inch hard drive...

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Coming Up

THE Journal Opportunities

Share Your Best Practices

T.H.E. Journal is currently looking for the following types of articles for future issues and for our eNewsletter, T.H.E. SmartClassroom:

  • School Perspectives - discuss a specific topic, trend, or concern about education technology.
  • Case Studies – have you implemented technology and learned a lot from the experience? If so, share your efforts about what worked -- and what didn't.

If you have a potential article, or questions about the above topics, please e-mail [email protected]

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