Contact:
Douglas Levin
Executive Director
202-715-6636 x700
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2013 SETDA Leadership Summit to Feature State and Federal Educational Technology Leaders, Teacher and Student Voices

Future of ConnectED, E-Rate Modernization Among Program Highlights

November 1, 2013 (Washington, DC) – The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) will meet November 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia will be represented at the meeting, which is designed to support state and national leaders in improving K-12 education through effective technology policy and practice.

A highlight of the meeting will be the daylong Education Forum co-hosted with the National Association of State Boards of Education on Monday, November 4. SETDA members, their colleagues from the states, private sector partners and guests will examine topics such as the use of technology in next generation assessments, the shift away from traditional textbooks to digital content, strategies and considerations in expanding broadband and device access to all students, efforts in ensuring the privacy of student data, and strategies to support educators in a digital age.

The one-of-a-kind event will feature keynote and panel presentations, as well as rich discussions with featured speakers and honorees, including:

• Rick Hess, Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and co-author of the new book, “Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age: Using Learning Science to Reboot Schooling”
• Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel
• Richard Culatta, Director of the Office of Educational Technology, and Sujeet Rao, Special Assistant in the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education
• Michael Steffen, Director of Digital Learning, FCC
• Anthony Wilhelm, Associate Administrator of the Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications/NTIA, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Educational technology leaders from a diverse cross-section of states, including Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Washington
• Educators and students, including Suzanne Culbreth, Alabama Teacher of the Year 2012-2013, and student and teacher recipients of the prestigious Elsie Brumback Scholarship from Beaverton (Oregon) School District

“States play a crucial role in advancing meaningful school reform and improvement, and innovative uses of technology are serving as a catalyst to addressing longstanding public education issues with renewed enthusiasm and hopefulness,” said Douglas Levin, SETDA executive director. “Conversations among state and federal leaders, enriched by interactions with educators, students and members of the private sector, are crucial to the effective and sustainable enhancements in education we need to make a difference in the lives of today’s students.”

About SETDA

Founded in 2001, the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is the principal non-profit membership association representing U.S. state and territorial educational technology leaders. Our mission is to build and increase the capacity of state and national leaders to improve education through technology policy and practice. For more information, please visit: www.setda.org.

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