February 3, 2010

CONTACT:

CoSN:  Jennifer Cummings (202) 822-9491, [email protected]

ISTE: Marlene Nesary, (541) 302-3789, [email protected]

SETDA: Sara Hall (410) 279-3368, [email protected]

Education Leaders Urge Administration to Reconsider Lack of Direct Investment in Education Technology; Support Infusion of Technology throughout New ESEA 

Washington, DC – Associations representing state, district, and building-level educators –  the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) – today reacted to the Obama Administration FY11 education budget request. In proposing to infuse technology throughout other program requests the proposed budget consolidates the Enhancing Education Through Technology program (EETT; ESEA Title II, Part D), robbing it of its capability to drive significant innovation and change.

The associations released the following joint statement:

“While there are elements of the President’s proposed budget that are laudable, we remain extremely concerned that the Administration has elected to defund EETT in its FY11 Budget Proposal and urge the Administration and Congress to restore adequate funding for this critical program. Congress and the President included EETT as a core provision of the current ESEA law in recognition of the importance of driving the next generation of innovations in teaching and learning, assessment and continuous improvement, and cost-efficiency in coordination with other federal, state and local school improvement strategies. We fear that years of investments through EETT and the E-Rate, coupled with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment, may be devalued or lost entirely without adequately funding EETT or a successor program.

“We were very pleased to hear the Obama Administration’s commitment to infusing technology across the range of its proposed programs and school reform initiatives announced this week. We fully concur that, as the President stated, ‘technology, when used creatively and effectively, can transform education and training.’ We would like to see those sentiments translated into specific, tangible allocations that meaningfully incorporate technology throughout the Administration’s new vision for ESEA and to the benefit of all students. In our view, a newly reauthorized ESEA must infuse technology across all program areas and be supported by targeted research, evaluation and investments that enhance state and local educational technology leadership and capacity, educator professional development, and technology-based innovation.

“We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to usher in a new era of dramatic educational improvement, supported by smart, strategic and sustainable investments in educational technology.”

About CoSN, ISTE, and SETDA:

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 www.cosn.org.

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

.The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is the principal association representing the technology leadership of state departments of education. The SETDA membership includes educational technology directors from the state departments of education of all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Bureau of Indian Affairs, American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands. www.setda.org.

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