FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2011

Contacts:
CoSN: Jennifer Cummings, 202-822-9491, [email protected]  
ISTE: Marlene Nesary, 541-302-3789, [email protected] 
SETDA: Sara Hall, 410-279-3368, [email protected]
SIIA: Mark Schneiderman, 301-943-5702, [email protected] 

Education and Business Leaders Express Dismay Over Efforts to Defund State Ed Tech Grants Program

Elimination of EETT will Undercut Engine of K-12 Education
Innovation, Reform

Washington, DC – Four leading education and business associations – on behalf of more than 100,000 educators and hundreds of high-tech employers in all 50 states – today expressed deep disappointment with Congressional proposals to defund the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. EETT is the only federal program (ESEA Title IID) dedicated to making technology and training investments in K-12 education that benefit all students. The associations – the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), International Society for Technology Education (ISTE), Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) – released the following joint statement.

“Today, as President Obama speaks at TechBoston Academy to tout the need for more technology-related innovation in education, there is an effort under way to defund the EETT program. EETT is the only existing authorized education program designed to leverage innovation and technology to get our economy back on track and adequately prepare all of the nation’s children for the competitive 21st century global economy.

“We are deeply disappointed that despite many Members’ understanding of the vital role technology plays in K-12 education in their states and districts, Congress is on the verge of eliminating funding for this critical program.

“Elimination of the program also is the surest way to devalue the billions of dollars invested over the last two years on improving broadband access to K-12 schools and directly undercuts ongoing state and federal efforts to deploy education data systems, implement new college and career-ready standards and assessments, and address the well-documented STEM crisis.

“Our educators and students deserve better, and we urge Congress to reverse course and fully fund the EETT program.”

About CoSN, ISTE, SETDA, SIIA: 

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the country’s premier voice in education technology leadership, serving K-12 technology leaders who through their strategic use of technology, improve teaching and learning. For further information, visit http://www.cosn.org.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE ®) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in advancing excellence in learning and teaching through the innovative and effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. Home to ISTE’s annual conference and exposition and the widely-adopted NETS, ISTE represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide. http://www.iste.org.

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is the national member association that represents the interests of the educational technology leadership of state and territorial education agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. SETDA members work collectively and in public-private partnerships to ensure that meaningful technology innovations with broad potential for systemic improvements and cost-savings in teaching, learning and leadership are brought to scale.  https://www.setda.org.

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to 500 leading software and information companies.http://www.siia.net.