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January–June 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. |
What follows is a summary of the work that Leslie Harris &
Associates (Washington,
D.C.) has undertaken on behalf of the International Society for
Technology in
Education (ISTE) and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) since
January
1999.
Contents
E-Rate
The firm continues to spend a great deal of time on
E-Rate–related activities,
educating the ISTE and CoSN field about developments in the program,
as well
as working closely with the SLD, the White House, the FCC, and
Congress to keep
the program on track.
Since January we have:
- Met with senior officials and FCC Commissioners to discuss full
funding
for the program;
- Met with key Commerce Committee members to advocate for full
funding;
- Developed a report with the EdLiNC Coalition with statistical data
and success
stories from 46 schools and libraries effected by the E-Rate
program;
- Organized a press event to present EdLiNC’s E-Rate report to
Chairman
Kennard and all of the FCC Commissioners;
- Arranged core outreach to educate the press and the public about
the success
of the E-Rate program;
- Provided alerts and other material to the field to generate
letters and
E-mails to FCC commissioners and members of Congress in support of
full funding
for the program;
- Met with the sponsor of legislation to weaken the E-Rate to
discuss the
implications for schools participating in the program; and
- Drafted letters on CoSN and ISTE’s behalf to the FCC and
Congress.
Outlook
Once the FCC votes on the funding level, the Hill activity on E-Rate, particularly
efforts to change its funding and structure, will gain momentum and will probably
be the focus of activity for the remainder of Congress.
ESEA
As Congress turns its attention to the reauthorization of the
Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA), we will continue to work to maintain
and build
on the current Title III programs.
Since January we have:
- Developed a position paper on the impact of block granting
education technology
funds;
- Prepared a memorandum for the boards on the outlook for the
legislation
guiding principals for ESEA reauthorization;
- Organized the working group of organizations interested in Ed tech
to focus
on Title III;
- Joined the Elementary and Secondary Education Coalition, which
includes
organizations representing the views of teachers, principals,
parents, and
states;
- Met with members of the Education Committee members to discuss the
importance
and necessity of each of the federal technology programs;
- Assisted the Education Committee in finding witnesses to testify
on the
merits of the different Title III programs at reauthorization
hearings;
- Met regularly with the Department of Education on ESEA; and
- Attended all relevant ESEA hearings and reported to the boards and
organizational
fields on developments.
Outlook
Bills to reauthorize ESEA are expected to be introduced by the Administration
and the Executive Branch in the next few weeks. We will be analyzing these bills
and working with the Committees and the Administration to fashion legislation
that meets our set of principles.
Distance Learning & Copyright
The U.S. Copyright Office is expected to release its report on
digital distance
learning soon. Once the report has been presented to Congress, we will
be working
to get legislation enacted to facilitate distance learning.
Since January we have:
- Developed a survey of K–12 educators on distance
learning;
- Filed letters of interest to the Copyright Office on behalf of
CoSN and
ISTE;
- Arranged for (now former) board presidents Lynne Schrum (ISTE) and
James
Bosco (CoSN) to both testify at a hearing held by the Copyright
Office on
distance education;
- Attended all of the hearings related to distance learning;
- Drafted and submitted reply comments to the Copyright Office on
behalf of
CoSN and ISTE;
- Organized and convened a broad coalition of K–12, higher
education
and library organizations to work together on the distance learning
proceedings;
and
- Met with the Copyright Office regarding the concerns of the
K–12 community.
Outlook
The Copyright Office report appears delayed until after Memorial Day. Once that
report is released, we will be working with the coalition we brought together
to advocate for distance learning amendments to the Copyright Law.
Appropriations
Although the prospects for additional education funding looked dim at
the start
of 1998, the year ended with a $3.6 billion increase in education, the
largest
one year increase on record, including increases to Title III
programs. The
Committee for Education Funding, of which CoSN joined this year,
played a key
role in achieving that result. (We hope ISTE will consider joining CEF
as it
has been a very valuable resource and has provided extraordinary
access to the
appropriations process.)
Since January we have:
- Assisted CEF with a press briefing attended by 50 congressional
staff, press
and coalition members on the release of the CEF FY99 Education
Budget Alert;
- Helped make sure that every member of Congress received and
utilized the
CEF budget book;
- Met with members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee as
part of one
of the CEF hill teams;
- Attended weekly CEF meetings to discuss strategies for upcoming
budget and
appropriation legislation; and
- Provided regular updates to the field on appropriations
matters.
Outlook
The budget caps enacted by the last Congress threatens to force huge cuts in
education appropriations this year. Advocating for raising those caps and fully
funding educational technology will be a priority that will require participation
from ISTE and CoSN’s membership.
Filtering
Congress is again considering legislation to require schools and
libraries
to install blocking and filtering legislation as a condition of
receiving E-Rate
funds. On behalf of ISTE and CoSN the firm has:
- Participated in a coalition of organizations opposed to the
legislation;
- Drafted testimony for ISTE and CoSN on the legislation which was
submitted
to the Commerce Committee;
- Met with key congressional office and the Administration on the
legislation
- Provided outreach to other organizations on the issue; and
- Developed strategy and alternative approaches.
Outlook
In the wake of the high school shootings in Littleton, Colorado, the Senate
Judiciary Committee is expected to markup the legislation this summer. We will
continue to educate and advocate for local control and flexibility for schools.
Prepared by Leslie Harris, Adeena Colbert, and Phil Ugelow
On behalf of the International Society for Technology in Education
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