What’s Happening in Washington

As a new decade dawns, Congress and the Obama administration are hard at work on funding and policy to maximize the potential of technology to transform education in the United States. From infrastructure to instruction and from the school house to the White House, there are many dimensions of this transformation emerging:

• National Broadband Plan by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - due Feb. 17, 2010. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorized the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop a National Broadband Plan to ensure that everyone in the U.S. has access to broadband capability. During the summer of 2009, the FCC conducted nearly two dozen workshops to solicit perspectives on the plan from stakeholders, including a workshop on education and the future of E-Rate.
  
  The FCC later issued a Public Notice on Broadband Needs in Education including options for E-Rate modifications intended to improve broadband deployment. The questions and options in the Notice indicate that substantive changes are under consideration, including:
  • Expanding eligibility for E-Rate to community colleges and other entities with no guarantee of an increase in the annual $2.25 billion funding cap, and
  • A possible merger with the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program.

 NSBA filed comments intended to protect and enhance these programs.

National Education Technology Plan by the U.S. Department of Education is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2010. The new plan will provide a vision for how information and communication technologies can help improve and advance education opportunities. It will provide a set of concrete goals that can inform state and local educational technology plans as well as inspire research, development, and innovation.

NSBA Executive Director Anne Bryant and Education Technology Director Ann Flynn participated in the development of the plan.  

H1N1 response - Continuity of learning is a key concern for schools responding to the H1N1 virus. Recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education rely heavily on instructional options enhanced with technology to disseminate materials, deliver instruction, and provide information for teachers, parents and communities. Increased awareness of these options could transform learning long after H1N1 is no longer a threat. The Department of Education Recommendations to Ensure Continuity of Learning for Schools (K-12) during Extended Student Absence or School Dismissal can be a blueprint for educational systems seeking to develop or broaden their options and approaches.

Resources: 
NSBA Comments on FCC Broadband Need in Education 

NSBA input into National Education Technology Plan: NSBA Comments

Schools & Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund (E-Rate): Issue Brief

Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT): Issue Brief