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Christine Fox
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Students Prepared for College and Careers through Innovative Learning Models

SETDA Releases 2012 National Trends Report: State Leadership Empowers Educators,
Transforms Teaching and Learning

June 20, 2012 (Washington, DC): The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) today released its ninth annual National Educational Technology Trends Report, State Leadership Empowers Educators, Transforms Teaching and Learning. The report includes dozens of examples of quality learning programs that leverage technology, including details regarding implementation of the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) State Grants Program for FY 2010 and under the America Recovery and Restoration Act (ARRA).
The powerful examples of innovative use of technology in the report fall into four strategies for preparing students for college and careers, and the report challenges education leaders to focus on these strategies in the future:

• Providing Innovative Learning Models that enable students to have greater access to resources, classes and experts and enable meaningful, personalized learning experience both inside and outside of school.
• Ensuring Infrastructures for Learning, including technology and data systems and content standards that are interoperable, and tightly aligned with assessments.
• Ensuring Educator Effectiveness through online communities of practice, mentoring and coaching, and online resources and programs.
• Providing College and Career Preparation through programs for all students including those who have not been successful in traditional schooling as well as those striving for graduate work and professional careers.

“The expertise of state leaders is essential to bridging technology and education reform priorities,” stated Douglas Levin, Executive Director of SETDA. “This report highlights how state leaders have worked to scale-up successful programs, coordinate educational technology investments through multiple funding streams, and employ evaluation strategies to guide decision making.”
“We must focus on the critical need of preparing all students for college and careers, “ said Jeff Mao, Maine Department of Education and SETDA Board Chair. “It is imperative that we continue to work to shift our education policies and practices to better align with modern society in which access to technology tools and resources is seamless.”
The national report is available online at https://www.setda.org/web/guest/nationaltrends2012.