Today nearly 200 educators representing 25 states and every region of the country participated in a series of meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to urge the restoration of federal education technology funding, which the Obama Administration has proposed to eliminate in FY 2011. The educators, who were in town for the Washington Education Technology Summit, stressed the importance of federal investments in policy initiatives aimed at equipping students with the tools needed for success in the 21st century and teachers with the professional development resources necessary to harness the power of technology.
The Summit was hosted by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and the Software & Industry Information Association (SIIA).
"The message we delivered today is that technology is critical to meeting our collective goals for education," said Doug Levin, Executive Director of SETDA. "Now is the time to make smart investments to drive innovation in our nation's schools through technology, provide our students with a rich education, and give our educators the professional development resources and training they need to enhance the learning experience."
During the daylong Summit, education leaders listened intently to keynote addresses from Roberto Rodríguez, Special Assistant to President Obama for Education on the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
"We are encouraged by today's meetings with policymakers and by our shared vision for American schools that are more relevant, engaging, and globally competitive," said ISTE CEO Don Knezek. "We look forward to continuing our work with the Administration and Congress to restore adequate federal funding for education technology programs."
For more information, visit www.cosn.org
