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April 1999
News of U.S. Educational Technology Policy and Legislation
provided by
the International Society for Technology in Education.
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Compiled, written, and edited by
Phil Ugelow,
Leslie Harris, and
Adeena
Colbert.
Copyright ISTE, 1999.
If you use excerpts, credit ISTE. |
Contents
FCC Announces Changes in E-Rate Program
Last month the FCC resolved several remaining disputes in the
administration
regarding Year 1 applications that had concerned E-Rate recipients.
Responding to pressure from applicants, the FCC approved a
much-supported waiver
for schools and libraries to use their first-year funding for
nonrecurring costs
(like internal connections wiring) through September 30, 1999.
Applicants had argued that they could not complete their original
contracts
by the expected June 30 deadline because of the program’s lengthy
delay
in funding commitments.
In another move, the FCC announced a new policy for funding internal
connection
applications. In years when the total funding requests exceeds the
amount of
available money, the FCC will grant internal connections funding to
the neediest
applicants on a descending percentage point-by-percentage point basis.
The previous
FCC policy was to pro-rate any remaining funds across the first
discount band
(of 10 percentage points) that could not be fully funded. This year,
the FCC
was able to fully fund all schools and libraries at the 70% discount
rate and
above.
The FCC also voted to solicit comments on possible procedures for funding appeals
claims if the SLD does not have enough money to pay all the claims. The FCC
is proposing that all claims be prioritized by need, with applications for internal
connections designated as the last requests to be funded; if there is not enough
money to fund all telecommunications requests, no internal connections funds
will be awarded. The FCC did, however, release a statement explaining that it
is highly “unlikely” that there will be a situation when there would
be insufficient funds to cover appeals.
SLD Receives Record Number of Year 2 E-Rate
Applications
More than 32,000 schools and libraries nationwide have submitted
applications
for 1999 E-Rate telecommunications discounts—an increase of 2,000
additional
applications over the program’s first year.
The growing number of applications represents a majority of
America’s
schools and libraries: 80% of public schools nationwide submitted Year
2 applications
and almost 50% of public libraries applied for discounts.
This year’s funding will also target the nation’s neediest
schools
and libraries—nearly half of the dollars requested will service
schools
and libraries with economically disadvantaged applicants.
“The E-Rate gives our nation’s schools and libraries a chance to
get connected to the Information Superhighway,” said SLD President Kate
L. Moore. “Demand for the E-Rate demonstrates to the public the high level
of need for communications and technology in our schools and libraries.”
Budget Resolution Becomes Focus for Education
Supporters
With the Congressional spring recess at an end, the House and Senate
will soon
begin to work out differences on the Congressional Budget resolution
that will
determine funding levels for education initiatives for 2000. While the
President’s
budget released in February proved a disappointment with only a $1.2
billion
or 3.7% increase in education over the budget caps, the Senate budget
resolution
more than doubles that amount, with $2.6 billion in increases for
elementary,
secondary, and vocational education above the freeze level.
Given the caps that apply to the budget overall, important education programs
may suffer with initiatives such as Head Start, student aid, and school modernization
at risk. At the same time, House lawmakers adopted a budget resolution that
funds education at $700 million below the President’s request and only
$500 million above the caps. With strong public support for education spending
and a healthy economy, education activists are urging lawmakers to craft a budget
that “makes education investment the top budget priority as we approach
the 21st Century.” For more, go to www.cef.org/.
ESEA Reauthorization Off to a Slow Start
While initial hearings have been held on the Elementary and Secondary
Education
Act reauthorization, neither House has begun to seriously work on
reauthorization
legislation. In the meantime, there is no shortage of opinion in
Washington
on how best to reauthorize the law, with most education groups seeking
moderate
changes and groups like the Heritage Foundation and others seeking a
more limited
role for the federal government in education policy calling for
sweeping changes
in how the federal government funds education programs. Among the
proposals
for change are a “Super Ed-Flex” initiative that would
permit states
greater flexibility in the use of federal education funds in return
for an agreement
to meet clear performance objectives, block grants, and program
consolidations.
Education supporters are particularly concerned that Education and the Workforce
Chairman William Goodling may be considering breaking up the reauthorization
of the law into separate titles and separate bills rather than as comprehensive
legislation. A coalition of education interests wrote, “several sections
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would not be reauthorized if Congress
considers the bill in pieces” and that “it is critical that the [ESEA]
be reviewed in its entirety.”
Copyright Office Holds Distance Education Hearing
As the deadline approaches for the U.S. Copyright Office to file
recommendations
on possible revisions of distance learning copyright law,
representatives of
the education and library communities argued the case for broadened
distance
learning exemptions at an April 6, 1999, hearing in Salt Lake City,
Utah.
The Salt Lake hearing is one of the final meetings that the Copyright
Office
has held across the country to determine whether or not copyright law
should
be revised to exempt all distance education programs from normal
restrictions
(current copyright law exempts only programs that use analog
technology—not
more modern programs using digital networks).
The Copyright Office invited leaders from Utah’s distance
learning community
to speak at a roundtable discussion and technology demonstration that
featured
educators, copyright owners, and industry representatives. Utah is the
only
state today that operates a coordinated, statewide distance learning
network;
it is widely recognized as a leader and innovator in distance
education.
Also attending the meeting was Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), sponsor of
the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (the legislation that mandated the Copyright
Office’s
review) and Marybeth Peters, U.S. Register of the Copyright.
Although the Copyright Office’s recommendations will be reported
to Congress
by April 28, Peters explained that she does not believe the problem
will be
solved by the end of the month. “The question here is not an
outright exemption
for education, but to see whether the balance … is drawn
appropriately,”
she said. “Everyone has a vested interest in getting it
right.”
The Salt Lake Hearing can be viewed online at www.uen.org. The Copyright Office also posts
distance education updates at http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/disted.
Members Lobby for E-Rate Termination Act
While most of the political furor over the E-Rate program has been
laid to
rest by the arrival of much needed discounts in communities around the
country,
a small band of House activists continue to assail the program.
Reps. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Pete Sessions (R-CO), and Ed Royce (R-CA) have been
soliciting support for the E-Rate Termination Act, legislation they introduced
to end the E-Rate program. The members refer to the E-Rate as a “backdoor
tax” and want to eliminate the program in its entirety. Brian Wilkes, press
secretary for Rep. Royce, said that Royce’s office has received “a
huge amount of mail and e-mail” from concerned constituents. “If it
wasn’t for the impeachment hearings, this would be the dominant issue,”
he said. The mail that Wilkes refers to, however, represents the widespread
confusion over line-item universal service charges that have begun appearing
on phone bills nationwide—and is not necessarily indicative of the E-Rate
program itself, which represents a fraction of those charges.
Internet Filtering Debate Broadens
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
has entered
the national debate on providing responsible and appropriate Internet
content
to America’s children.
In a letter to the FCC, NTIA petitioned the commissioners to require
any school
or library that receives E-Rate discounts to implement Acceptable Use
Policies
(AUP) for responsible Internet content.
“The E-Rate program and other educational technology initiatives
are transforming
our nation’s classrooms and libraries,” they wrote. “We
need
to address the issue of how best to ensure that these children have
positive,
age-appropriate, educational online experiences … [in a
manner]
compatible with the First Amendment.”
Members of the education and library communities have also advocated
Acceptable
Use Policies as an appropriate, local solution for protecting children
online;
an AUP bill introduced by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) last year garnered
much support
in education circles.
Many legislators, however, have urged stricter restrictions on E-Rate participants—most
prominent are bills introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rep. Bob Franks
(R-NJ) this year. Dubbed the “Children’s Internet Protection Act,”
(S.97, H.R. 543) this legislation would require schools and libraries in the
E-Rate program to use filtering or blocking software on computers with Internet
access. Opponents of this legislation argue that filtering and blocking software
are ineffective, too expensive, and strip decision-making authority from local
jurisdictions.
Legislators Propose Restriction on Internet Charges
Several congressional legislators are seeking to put an end to rumors
of Internet
access charges by drafting legislation that would prohibit federal
regulators
from levying any fees.
In recent months, a widely spread e-mail “alert” claimed
that the
government might decide to “allow a charge to your phone bill
each time
you access the Internet.” The confusion arose after an FCC
hearing on the
restructuring of fees between phone companies and did not reflect any
policy
relevant to Internet fees.
Despite FCC Chairman William Kennard’s assurances that the FCC
would not
levy any “access fees,” a group of Republicans petitioned
Kennard
to help plan new legislation banning the fees permanently. “To
end this
uncertainty once and for all,” they wrote, “and to stop the
thousands
of e-mails and phone calls from concerned Internet users, we are
writing to
ask you to work with us on legislation to make it clear that the FCC
will not
regulate the Internet or impose access charges on Internet
service.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) announced his plans to introduce the legislation in
the coming weeks. Congressional sources in the House, however, said that there
were no immediate plans to introduce similar legislation.
Teacher Technology Training Lags
Education policy makers are increasingly studying how to train
teachers and
staff in the use of new technology in the classroom. Researchers have
released
a series of reports demonstrating that teachers are increasingly
unprepared
to integrate technology into curricula.
“Teacher education and professional development programs are not
addressing
the realities found in today’s classrooms,” said Education
Secretary
Richard Riley. “[One-day technology workshops] carry
little relevance
to teachers’ work in the classroom.”
A recent U.S. Department of Education survey found that only one out
of five
elementary and secondary teachers felt well prepared to use computers
in the
classroom. Another survey commissioned by the Milken Exchange on
Educational
Technology and ISTE found that professional development programs for
teachers
are not adequately succeeding in preparing teachers to use technology.
The report
noted that “the technology infrastructure of education has
increased more
quickly than the incorporation of IT tools into teaching and
learning.”
For the full report see, www.iste.org.
With the nation’s investment in education technology likely to exceed
$5 billion annually, training and professional development will no doubt become
a priority among policy makers. “Even schools that are fully equipped must
ensure that new technologies are used in ways that will improve student learning,”
says Erik Robelen of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
“Educators and policymakers need to think about the ‘whys’ and
‘wherefores’ of technology in schools.”
Grant Established for Teacher Tech Training
The U.S. Department of Education announced a new $75 million
initiative that
will provide grants for innovative programs that prepare teachers to
incorporate
new technologies into the classroom.
The program, Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology,
will help
“guarantee that teachers are proficient in the technologies they
will find
in their 21st century schools,” according to a Department of
Education
press release. The new initiative will help local educators cope with
the growing
number of teachers that require technology training and will provide a
special
emphasis on the needs of low-income communities.
The Department of Education will award grants in three categories:
200 grants
of $120,000 each will support a single year of work for programs that
lay the
groundwork for large-scale teacher preparation initiatives; 70 awards
of up
to $400,000 a year (over three years) will support institutions that
are ready
to implement training programs; 30 grants of $500,000 a year (over
three years)
will benefit national or regional consortia that are planning
large-scale strategies
and innovations. Applicants who apply for single-year grants will be
eligible
for the long-term awards next year.
Many different educational groups are encouraged to apply: the
Department of
Education will accept applications from institutions of higher
education, school
districts, nonprofits, professional associations, foundations, private
sector
businesses, state education agencies, community colleges, and private
schools.
Applications are due June 4; awards will be announced August 16.
For more information, call 1.800.USA.LEARN or visit the program’s Web
site at www.ed.gov/teachtech.
IERI Grant Deadline Approaches
The deadline for a new grant program for studies on the use of
information
technology in the classroom is fast approaching. Complete proposals
for the
$30 million Interagency Education Research Initiative (IERI) are due
May 14;
initial letters of intent were due by April 1.
The IERI program will award grants to organizations that study how
information
technology can be applied to learning—through areas like school
readiness,
cognitive development, and skills in reading, math, and
science—and develop
experimental methods for applying this knowledge in educational policy
and practice.
The IERI is for both small and large studies; most grants will fund
studies
over a three-year period.
The grant is coordinated by the National Science Foundation, in
conjunction
with the Department of Education, the Office of Educational Research
and Improvement,
and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in
the National
Institutes of Health.
More information is available at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf9984.
Department of Education to Recognize “Exemplary” Technology
Programs
The U.S. Department of Education announced that it would coordinate a
national
competition to recognize the most promising and successful technology
programs
across the country. Although the competition will not include a
financial award,
the Department believes that this national designation will result in
publicity
and funding opportunities for the best programs nationwide.
Preliminary applications were due April 2, and the full application
is due
September 1, 1999.
The Department of Education is soliciting comments on its proposed
guidelines
for judging the competition; comments should be submitted before April
16.
More information is available online at www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ORAD/LTD/panel.html.
Prepared by Leslie Harris, Adeena Colbert, and Phil Ugelow
On behalf of the International Society for Technology in Education
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