Ted Richane
The Fratelli Group
202.822.9491
trichane@fratelli.com

Washington, DC (April 3, 2006) – The California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA) and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) have jointly announced the creation of a new California CTO Council which will meet the growing needs of school district technology leaders. The Council of California Chief Technology Officers will be a new division of CETPA and will form the California state chapter of CoSN. The CTO Council will add many benefits to CETPA members, including up-to-the minute news on key national policy issues, such as the Erate and funding for technology under No Child Left Behind; as well as providing networking opportunities, professional development, representation in Washington and more.

“This new affiliation with CoSN at the national level will enable our two organizations to create a range of new resources and services for California district-level technology decision-makers. This is very exciting and will greatly strengthen our community,” said Daryl LaGace, president of CETPA. The goal of this new effort is to build strong technology leadership at the school district level, and combine the strengths of California-based CETPA with the national resources of CoSN.

“CoSN’s strategic vision to enable district technology leaders will be tremendously strengthened by the addition of the California CTO Council and the affiliation with CETPA,” said Sheryl Abshire, Chair of CoSN.

Details on the new California CTO Council will be released in the coming months, but school districts and offices of education that join as Institutional members of this new Council of CETPA will immediately enjoy all the benefits of CoSN membership.

About the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the country’s premier voice in education technology leadership with a mission to serve as the national organization for K-12 technology leaders who use technology strategically to ultimately improve teaching and learning. CoSN provides products and services to support and nurture leadership development, advocacy, coalition building, and awareness of emerging technologies.

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 education and technology leaders, policy makers, and influencers from the public and private sectors. Our audience includes key technology leaders (often called Chief Technology Officers—CTOs) in leading-edge states and districts, policy makers, private sector leaders, 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.

About the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA)

CETPA, established in 1960, continues its purpose to increase information sharing and communication among K-12 practitioners of technology and related disciplines. Recognizing that K-12 technology systems encompass all aspects of administrative and instructional information processing requirements, CETPA fosters and provides a wide-ranging set of resource subject matter to an increasingly diverse audience.

CETPA’s 2006 undertaking is the CTO Mentor Project which will establish a curriculum of study and certification for the K-12 population of technologists who can become qualified and strong technology leaders. The certification will establish the student as a qualified professional in K-12 technology, recognizing the graduate as being prepared to facilitate, support, and guide efforts to improve teaching, learning and educational administration through knowledge management and the cost effective application of current and emerging technology.

Association membership is growing and currently stands at approximately 1,200. CETPA is made up people who support technology in the K-12 educational environment, including directors of technology and chief technology officers, network managers and staff, teachers, chief business officers, both district and school site administrators, hardware technicians, software developers, trainers and support services staffs plus the vendor community supporting these disciplines.

Visit www.cetpa-k12.org for more information.