ISTE Guidance on Stimulus Funds

ISTE worked closely with the Obama Administration and the U.S. Congress to ensure that the stimulus package included a dedicated funding stream for classroom technology and professional development.  In a letter to members March 31, ISTE CEO Don Knezek outlined the various education elements of the stimulus package.  He urged collaboration with state and district leaders as schools plan for how they'll use the funds to make sure "our students are educated in 21st century classrooms by teachers who have the skill and training to teach well in them. "  Read more...

ISTE's 2009 U.S Public Policy Objectives

2009 U.S Public Policy Principles and Federal Objectives (PDF)

ETAN (Ed Tech Action Network)

The tools and training you need to be a powerful advocate for improved technology learning and teaching. Tell policymakers in Washington, D.C. and in your state capitols, that education technology is vital for improving student achievement and professional development. Visit ETAN (http://www.edtechactionnetwork.org/).

ISTE Member Survey on ARRA

ISTE wants to hear from you about how your school or district is using the funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) toward technology and technology professional development purchases. This information is important to gather and to share with policymakers at the state and federal levels to illustrate how our community is investing these funds wisely to promote school innovation and reform. Please complete the following survey with an eye toward sharing how this one-time investment will be used for long-term benefit.

Please complete the ISTE survey to help us track how districts and schools are using ARRA for technology implementation and technology professional development.

http://tinyurl.com/ISTE-ARRA

Stimulus Funding Webinar

Click here to watch the ISTE Webinar "So The Stimulus Passed…Now What?" ISTE CEO Don Knezek and Director of Government Affairs Hilary Goldmann recently led a panel discussion where they discussed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and how these dollars can be used for classroom technology purchases and professional development initiatives . For more information about the webinar, click here.

Schedule of Events

Visit the ISTE Advocacy Events Schedule for information about upcoming appearances, meetings, forums, and other events.

Giving Educators a Voice on Policy Issues

ISTE’s advocacy initiatives bring the voice of local educators to the nation’s policy-makers. At the same time, ISTE is developing advocacy expertise among educators enabling them to be valuable informational resources for policy-makers at all levels of government.

The Challenge

Few policy-makers fully recognize the impact technology has in schools. Contributing to this problem is that educators are not sharing their success stories enough with their elected officials. Elected officials will increase support for technology utilization in schools as they begin to hear more from educators about the positive impact technology has in curriculum, student success, and educational opportunity.

The Impact

ISTE’s advocacy efforts extend beyond giving technology to students. The impact of our work is to ensure that technology empowers educators to help more students achieve their full potential.