DoE Offers Vision On Tech, Silence On E-Rate

Telecom Policy Report, Jan 12, 2005

New Report Details Future School Plans, But What About Funding?

The U.S. Department of Education (DoE) recently offered the nation its long-term visions and views on implementing the wider use of computers, software and networking in the country's elementary, middle- and high-school classrooms, with suggestions on implementations and applications for all such technologies as well as for broadband Internet access.

DoE's release of a "national education technology plan" - unveiled during a Webcast and a live presentation in Washington, D.C. - fell relatively short in discussing the always-sticky problem of funding high-tech education systems, including virtually no mention of the controversial E-Rate program for subsidizing Internet costs at financially challenged schools and libraries. There were broad implications, however, that creative education-system budgets can reduce dependence on federal funding programs, with hints that reliance on such monies might be highly speculative in the future. (Editor's note: E-Rate money is used by schools or their vendors and service providers to cover internal local area network (LAN) connections, Internet access and other telecom-related costs.)

Nevertheless, the estimated $2 billion-plus E-Rate program for Internet access at schools and libraries - handled directly by the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC) under the auspices of the Federal Communication Commission's broader Universal Service Fund (USF) policy - will continue to make its contributions to education during 2005; U.S. legislation passed and codified in late December 2004 allowed USAC to continue its activities for at least 12 months, despite FCC annoyance with USAC accounting methods and orders to stop issuing funds plus inquiries and investigations among several government circles surrounding poor execution, misuse of funds and/or outright fraud in the E-Rate program.

Meanwhile, the impetus for the DoE to produce a high-level outlook on technology and education began building steam several years ago following the grassroots, nationwide NetDay voluntary movement to wire schools for local networking and Internet access; added urgency surfaced in 2001 with federal legislative passage of ambitious education programs and sweeping goals in education commonly known as "No Child Left Behind." The DoE's 72-page study is called Toward a New Golden Age in American Education: How the Internet, the Law and Today's Students are Revolutionizing Expectation; it tends to dwell extensively on professional education matters, including progress by an estimated 50 million elementary, middle- and high-school students in such core subject areas as math, science and reading.

On the tech front, the report primarily is upbeat on the role of technology in economic, business and learning environments, with samplings of viewpoints by tech-savvy pupils (except for minorities, there are percentages of American student computer and online use in homes) and case studies of successful technology usage and deployments amid various school districts and state initiatives.

In addition, DoE concedes there remains debate within the education community itself about the total value and viability of technology along with resistance in classroom usage among teachers and others who believe technology's "great promise is frequently unrealized" by lackluster installations and maintenance of computers, software and networking in schools (the latter, in part, is attributable to expense and budgetary constraints in school districts).

What The DoE Wants Now

According to the DoE report, during the last 10 years, almost 99 percent of U.S. schools were connected to the Web and the student-computer ratio is 5:1; the report's usage and apps suggestions include support and encouragement for the following items:

* E-learning: Expand student access and train teachers to participate and develop high-quality measures and accreditation standards for e-learning that mirror those traditionally required for course credit.

* Broadband access: Evaluate and determine current capacities, explore ways to help ensure reliability, help ensure available to end-users, provide adequate technical support/management/maintenance, maximize educational uptime and plan for future needs.

* Movement toward digital content: Train teachers and students in the use of online content, seek ubiquitous student access to computers and connectivity, consider costs and benefits of online content, and align content with state academic standards.

* Integration of data systems: Establish plans for data systems integration for administrators and educators, use assessment results to differentiate instruction for children, and require interoperability-compliance criteria and certifications in all RFPs and purchasing decisions.

Besides federal education-budget spending on such fields as reading, special education and various disadvantaged student programs (reflecting a 49-percent increase for 2005 alone vs. the 2001-04 period), the report mentions school district "budgeting and funding models for 21st century education systems" in a terse forecast of possible things to come. "Federal funds have disproportionately supported the purchasing of technology in schools, but innovative states and districts have rebuilt their budgets from the ground up to reflect the new opportunities afforded by technology. These...are well positions for the future and are much better insulated from short-term funding fluctuations," the report says in part.