Released: August 10, 2007
Washington, DC 20036-3132
News Release
Contacts:
CoSN: Jon Bernstein, 202-263-2572, jbernstein@jbernsteinstrategy.com
ISTE: Marlene Nesary, 541-302-3789, mnesary@iste.org
SETDA: Mary Ann Wolf, 410-647-6965, mwolf@setda.org
SIIA: Mark Schneiderman, 202-789-4444, marks@siia.net
Education Leaders Applaud the Introduction of ATTAIN Act in the Senate
New Bill Revamps No Child Left Behind Support for Instructional Technologies & Promotes Successful Systemic Approaches
Washington, DC â€" August 9, 2007. A coalition of education and industry groups lauded last week’s introduction by Senators Bingaman (D-NM), Burr (R-NC), and Murray (D-WA) of the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) Act. Similar to its companion in the House (HR 2449), the legislation builds upon the Enhancing Education Through Technology Program (EETT) and data from several research studies to focus on the integral role of educational technology in systemic school redesign and professional development for core curricular areas.
The ATTAIN Act is based upon input from education stakeholders, including the Consortium for School Networking, the International Society for Technology in Education, the Software & Information Industry Association, and the State Educational Technology Directors Association.
The ATTAIN Act would leverage the success of EETT (Title II-D of NCLB) in order to improve student achievement in core curricular subjects by providing students with technology skills, access and support and ensuring that all teachers are properly equipped to use technology effectively. More specifically, ATTAIN would: focus funds on professional development and systemic redesign initiatives that leverage 21st century technologies; prioritize funding to schools in need of improvement; and require states to assess whether students have attained technological literacy by the eighth grade.
"This is great news for kids and for teachers," said ISTE CEO, Don Knezek. "They need modern skills and tools to flourish -- just like the rest of us and the nation as a whole. That's why we're so pleased to see the ATTAIN bill move forward in a bipartisan way through the House and now the Senate. It's a systematic and sensible approach to improving teaching and learning for this century."
“America’s economic future increasingly rests upon our ability to help our children develop 21st century skills like critical thinking, collaboration and creativity. As with every other sector of the U.S. economy, technology can play a transformative role in helping to meet these objectives, particularly around enabling our educational systems to individualize learning,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking. “Now is the time to pass the ATTAIN Act, legislation that will bolster our economic competitiveness by ensuring that 21st century learning takes place in our schools.”
“There are systemic reform models that are working to improve student achievement and teacher quality in schools today.” Educational technology implementations have been key in yielding these substantial academic gains; now, this legislation will serve as a catalyst for more states to bring these proven programs to scale,” said Mary Ann Wolf, Executive Director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association. “The Senate and House ATTAIN Acts both focus on research-based, systemic reform approaches that maximize the benefits of technology as we work to build a competitive, productive and creative workforce.”
“We do not want our students to fall behind in this era of innovation and global competition,” said Ken Wasch, President of the Software & Information Industry Association. “Technology is vital for providing students with a learning environment that prepares them for the world beyond the classroom. The ATTAIN Act will ensure our educational system adopts modern methods to remain effective in the digital, information economy. We thank Senators Bingaman (D-NM), Burr (R-NC), and Murray (D-WA) for their leadership on this important legislation.”
Specifically, the ATTAIN Act would update the existing EETT program by:
* Increasing the share of state-to-local funding distributed by formula from 50% to 60% and adding a minimum grant size in order to assure that more school districts receive allocations of sufficient size to permit them to operate significant education technology programs.
* Strengthening the program’s emphasis on teacher quality and technology skills by raising the portion of formula-grants set aside for professional development from 25% to 40%, while emphasizing the importance of timely and ongoing training.
* Channeling the 40% of funds allocated for competitive grants, previously unrestricted, to schools and districts for systemic school reform built around the use of technology to redesign curriculum, instruction, assessment and data use.
* More closely aligning the program with NCLB’s core mission by giving priority in competitive grant awards to schools identified as in need of improvement, including those with a large percentage of Limited English Proficient students and students with disabilities, as well as by focusing formula grants on students and subjects where proficiency is most lacking.
* Renewing NCLB’s commitment to ensuring that students are technologically literate by the eighth grade through requiring states to assess student knowledge and skills, including through embedding assessment items in other state tests and performance-based assessments portfolios.
* Establishing a National Center for Achievement Through Technology to conduct research on education technology implementations and disseminate best practices.
About CoSN, ISTE, SETDA and 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 improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. Home of NETS, CARET, and NECC, ISTE represents more than 85,000 education professionals worldwide. Learn more at www.iste.org/.
The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is the principal association for state directors of technology and their staff members providing professional development and leadership around the effective use to technology in education to enhance competitiveness in the global workforce. For more information, visit http://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 more than 800 leading software and information companies. Many SIIA members develop and deliver educational software, digital curricula and related technologies and services for use in education, while all SIIA members depend on the nation’s schools to provide a skilled, high-tech workforce. SIIA and our member companies have long collaborated with educators, policymakers and other stakeholders to improve education through the use of innovative learning technologies. Visit www.siia.net/.
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Marlene Nesary (mnesary@iste.org)
Media Contact
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
175 West Broadway, Suite 300
Eugene, OR 97401-3003
Phone : 541-302-3789
Courtesy FeaturesUSA.com