CoSN Decries Cuts in Education Technology Funding

Ted Richane
The Fratelli Group
202.822.9491
trichane@fratelli.com

Washington, DC (February 6, 2006) – The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) today announced its opposition to the President’s FY07 Federal Budget which would eliminate federal funding for education technology. The lost funding would cripple the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program.

“The Administration’s efforts to kill funding for technology under No Child Left Behind (Title IID - Enhancing Education Through Technology or EETT) undermines efforts to improve the science and math skills of our nation’s children and will ultimately weaken our ability to compete in the global economy,” said Sheryl Abshire, District Administrative Coordinator of Technology for Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles, LA and Chair of CoSN. “The elimination of this funding – which allows all children access to technology and the Internet, helps train teachers how to use and integrate technology into the curriculum, and provides funding and support for core-curricular content – runs completely counter to the goals and vision outline by the President.”

Last week in the President’s State of the Union address President Bush outlined new math and science education initiatives, stating, “If we ensure that America's children succeed in life, they will ensure that America succeeds in the world.”

“While the governments of other nations – from the United Kingdom and Australia to Singapore, Japan and China – believe that education technology serves as the engine for their educational reform efforts, our government proposes to shut down that engine. I fear that the Administration’s lack of leadership on this issue will not only inhibit student achievement but will have serious ramifications for the future of this country," commented Keith R. Krueger, CEO of CoSN.

“The importance of EETT dollars to public schools cannot be underestimated. Technology was vital in Louisiana and the Gulf during our recent crisis. When my district was decimated by Hurricane Rita, EETT funded technology made certain that students, teachers and administrators could continue to communicate and that staff could receive their paychecks. I urge the Administration to rethink this grave misstep on education technology funding,” added Abshire.

About EETT

Authorized as Title II-D of the NCLB, EETT enables schools to address core teaching and learning needs through technology tools, including:

• access to courses online otherwise not available to rural and urban students,
• equipping teachers to take advantage of new and emerging technology tools,
• providing students with the tools to compete in a highly competitive global employment market,
• continual assessment of student progress through computer-based testing, and
• disaggregation and reporting of student adequate yearly progress (AYP) data.

States distribute funds to districts with 50% allocated by poverty-weighted formula and 50% by competition. EETT gives schools broad discretion to spend their money on a wide range of technology acquisition, enrichment and integration purposes with at least 25% required for professional development.

About the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

Founded in 1992, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a national non-profit organization, is the premier voice in education technology leadership. CoSN’s mission is to serve as the national organization for K-12 technology leaders who use technology strategically to improve learning.

CoSN leadership initiatives include: Accessible Technologies for All Students (www.accessibletech4all.org); Cyber Security for the Digital District (www.securedistrict.org); Data-Driven Decision Making (www.3d2know.org); Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse (www.safewiredschools.org); Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom (www.classroomtco.org); and the development of the Council of School District Chief Technology Officers (CTO Council).

CoSN’s membership includes a unique blend of technology leaders from the public and private sectors. Our audience includes key technology leaders (often called Chief Technology Officers—CTOs) in leading-edge states and districts, as well as those technology leaders who wish to accelerate their districts’ or states’ systemic technology use. Visit www.cosn.org or phone 866.267.8747 to find out more about CoSN’s programs and activities supporting leadership development to ensure that information technology has a direct and positive impact on student learning in elementary and secondary schools.