Home AdvocacyPolicyWashington Notes2000 Mar

• SLD Offers Remaining Year-2 Funds
• Divided Committee Marks-Up ESEA
• Senate Coalition Introduces Education Legislation
• Senator Mikulski Introduces the National Digital Empowerment Act
• Panelists Push Professional Development
• Hearing Held on Truth in Billing Amendments
• Glenn Commission Holds Third Hearing
• New Spin on New Millennium Classrooms Act
• Coalition Readies Ed Tech Bill

SLD Offers Remaining Year-2 Funds

The Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has opened a 30-day window, ending March 31, 2000, for considering additional Year-2 requests. SLD must have received the initial Form 470 requests after April 6, 1999, and before March 2, 2000. SLD expects to return commitments for these requests before July 31, 2000, depending on the volume of additional applications considered.

This “second chance” for former Year-2 applicants who, for any reason, did not receive funding. A 3-day window in which wholly new applicants might have applied for services has passed. The amount of remaining Year-2 funds available during this window is slightly less than $250 million.

Qualified applicants must:

1. Have successfully filed FCC Form 470 between April 6, 1999, and March 2, 2000;
2. Deliver FCC Form 471 (Services Ordered and Certification Form) to SLD by 11:59 P.M. EST on March 31, 2000, no exceptions; and
3. Use a Year-2 form (one dated December 1998) when filing FCC Form 471. This form must be filed manually.

Download FCC Form 471 from the SLD Web site (www.sl.universalservice.org). It is also available from the Client Service Bureau by calling 888.203.8100. All applications received between March 2 and March 31, 2000 will be considered, under rules of priority, with the highest priority going to:

• Funding Requests (individual Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) even if they are on applications with other FRNs at lower discount percentages) at the 80–90% discount level (defined by the rules as representing the most disadvantaged schools and libraries).
• Applicants who did not receive any discount for Year 1 or Year 2.
• The applicant received discounts only for basic telephone service in prior applications for Year 1 or Year 2.

It is unknown how much of the $250 million will remain once the above priorities are fulfilled. If funds remain, the next highest priority will be given to Funding Requests at the 80–90% discount level, where the applicant received discounts for any eligible service in prior applications for Year 1 or Year 2. Final priority will be given to all other Funding Requests and applications received between March 2, 2000 and March 31, 2000.

Mail the completed Form 471 to:

SLD-Form 471, Year 2
P.O. Box 7026
Lawrence, Kansas 66044-7026

Or send it by express delivery service or U.S. Postal Service, return receipt requested, to:

SLD-Form 471, Year 2
c/o Ms. Smith
3833 Greenway Drive
Lawrence, Kansas 66046
Phone: 888.203.8100.

Divided Committee Marks-Up ESEA

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee completed the markup of S.2, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act*, on March 9. The bill was approved by a vote of 10 to 8. The markup of S. 2 was highly partisan with Chairman James Jeffords (R-VT) voting “present” for many key votes.

Most significantly, the committee voted to adopt Senator Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) amendments on Straight A’s, portability, and public school choice over the objections of the committee Democrats. The committee also defeated several amendments that would have authorized a number of the Administration’s programs such as the class-size reduction and school construction. Together these actions ended any hope that the committee would adopt a bipartisan measure.

The committee also defeated some education technology amendments, including Senator Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) amendment, which would have authorized the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to use Technology grants, and Senator Edward Kennedy’s (D-MA) amendment to authorize the Community Technology Centers. Finally, Senator Gregg withdrew an amendment, which would have block granted all of the education technology funds to the states and local education agencies, because of the strong opposition of education groups and hi-tech associations.

After the committee vote, Secretary of Education Richard Riley issued a statement (www.ed.gov/PressReleases/03-2000/0309.html) expressing disappointment with the Senate ESEA bill and stating that he would ask the President to veto the legislation.

The bill is expected to come to the Senate floor sometime in early April. The floor fight is expected to be contentious and a number of amendments will be offered on the floor. The bill can be found on the committee Web site at www.senate.gov/.

Senate Coalition Introduces Education Legislation

On March 9th, a coalition of so-called “New” Democrats introduced The Public Education Reinvestment, Reinvention, and Responsibility Act (Three R’s), which would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

The chief sponsor of the bill is Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT). The New Democrat coalition includes Senators:

• John Breaux (D-LA),
• John Edwards (D-NC),
• Mary Landrieu (D-LA),
• Blanche Lincoln (D-AR),
• Evan Bayh (D-IN),
• Bob Graham (D-FL),
• Bob Kerrey (D-NE.), and
• Chuck Robb (D-VA).

The legislation would consolidate most federal education programs into five goal-oriented titles focusing on:

1. closing the achievement gap between minority and white children,
2. helping immigrant students master English and meet high standards in all subjects,
3. improving teacher quality,
4. promoting public school choice, and
5. stimulating high-performance education initiatives.

The bill does not contain a separate title for education technology. Instead, it places education technology programs into Title V, Stimulating High Performance Initiatives; ends the Title III categorical grants programs; and makes technology literacy one permissible purpose for use of funds by local districts.

The New Democrats are expected to offer the Three R’s bill as an amendment to the ESEA reauthorization once the bill is sent to the floor. Representative Cal Dooley (D-CA) and Representative Joe Hoeffel (D-PA) will introduce a companion House bill.

Senator Mikulski Introduces the National Digital Empowerment Act

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) introduced S. 2229 (http://thomas.loc.gov/) the National Digital Empowerment Act (NDEA) on March 9th. The legislation aims to close the digital divide by bringing technology into underserved communities. The bill would:

• Double resources for teacher training in technology, including preservice training,
• Expand E-Rate by making Head Start centers and structured after-school programs eligible,
• Create 1,000 new Community Technology Centers,
• Create an E.Corps within the Americorps program for volunteers to work in schools and community centers,
• Create E.Villages in all federal housing programs, and
• Expand tax incentives for private donations of technology.

Reps. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and Albert Wynn (D-MD) introduced companion legislation in the House. The full text of Mikulski’s bill can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov.

Panelists Push Professional Development

On March 8th, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families (www.house.gov/ed_workforce/) held a hearing on Technology in Education.

Five witnesses provided testimony on the increasingly crucial role of technology in schools, with particular focus on the need for more professional development programs in educational technology for teachers. Overall, the witnesses testified to the positive impact of technology on the classroom, but they also said that real, positive, systemic change would not be possible until more teachers were not only trained in technology but also on how to create and maintain a technologically integrated curriculum.

Witnesses included Carlene Ellis, Vice-President and Director of Worldwide Education Programs at Intel Corporation; Jason Bertsch of Empower America; Tony Lee, the Senior Director of Worldwide Markets for Apple Computers; Jeffery Chin from the Elliot Alternative Education Center who testified on behalf of the National Education Association; and David Winston, Senior Vice President of Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates.

Subcommittee Chairman Michael Castle (R-DE) voiced his opinion that access to computers was no longer the single concern of ed tech legislation. The witnesses agreed, emphatically stressing the dual importance of universal service and ed tech training for teachers, both pre- and inservice training. The solution voiced most often was to educate teachers not only on how to use the latest technology but also on how to integrate that technology into their teaching.

One panelist, Mr. Winston, former Director of Planning for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and member of the Web-Based Education Commission, raised the issue of how to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate material when using the Internet in schools, citing blocking software as a possible component to schools’ policies. But he urged against Congress adopting broad-based solutions, instead stressing that individual schools, in cooperation with parents, should be left to develop their own solutions.

Hearing Held on Truth in Billing Amendments

On March 9th, the House Commerce Telecommunication, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee ) held a hearing on two proposed amendments to the Communications Act of 1934 (H.R. 3011 and H.R. 3022, http://thomas.loc.gov/) aimed at clarifying the charges on phone bills.

Full Committee Chairman Tom Bliley (R-VA) introduced H.R. 3011, titled Truth in Billing, and Ranking Member Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced H.R. 3022, titled More Truth in Billing. Citing widespread frustration with the cryptic nature of service charges, the witnesses and attending members generally favored H.R. 3011. The amendment would require telecommunications carriers to identify on subscriber’s telephone bills all universal service support mechanisms, funds, taxes or programs, including the governmental body requiring or authorizing that assessment, the basis for the assessment and the amount collected from that subscriber for the assessment.

Rep. Markey’s bill, H.R. 3022, The Rest of the Truth in Telephone Billing Act, received a lukewarm response. H.R. 3022 is identical to H.R. 3011, but it also requires that telecommunications providers indicate how much the subscriber’s bill has been reduced by any identified subsidy. Members expressed concern that full disclosure might overwhelm consumers by its complexity, rather than clarify.

Witnesses were Kevin Breen, vice president, AT&T Billing Operations; Brian Moir, Moir and Hardman; Kent Lassman, Citizens for a Sound Economy; Cathy Hotka, vice president, Information Technology for the National Retail Foundation; Jeffrey Eisenbach, Progress & Freedom Foundation; and Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

Glenn Commission Holds Third Hearing

The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century (www.ed.gov/inits/Math/glenn/toc.html), commonly known as the Glenn Commission, held its third meeting March 6–7. John Vaille, CEO of ISTE, was among those invited to testify.

Topics discussed included professional development and potential policies for recruitment and induction of math and science teachers. The next Commission meeting is scheduled for May 9, 2000.

New Spin on New Millennium Classrooms Act

The chief backers of S.542 have launched a new effort to gain support for the measure, saying it will help address the Digital Divide by increasing the availability of technology (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:s.00542:).

In a January 26 letter to their colleagues, Senators Spencer Abraham (R-MI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) argue it will take more than just ensuring schools are connected to the Internet to reduce the Digital Divide. The senators wrote:

Despite recent gains, many schools and centers with Internet access still may not have quality Internet-capable computers. In order to fully address the Digital Divide, we must continue to fulfill our commitment to provide our schools and community centers with updated, multi-media computers.

If passed, S. 542 would provide a 30% tax credit based on the fair market value of computer equipment donated to schools or senior centers and would increase the age limit of computers eligible for donation from two to three years old. Companies could get a bigger tax credit for donating machines to facilities in depressed areas. The bill was attached as an amendment on the Senate floor to tax legislation last year, but it never made it into the final version of the tax measure. In June 1999, an amendment was (S.AMDT.539) to ensure that donated computer hardware would be equipped with an operating system was referred to the Committee on Finance.

The bill has critics (including ISTE), particularly those who see it as benefiting some computer companies more than students and the elderly. Joshua Tenuta, Apple's manager of governmental affairs, said even when schools are given used computers, they may not be ready to integrate them easily into school curricula. "One of the things I've discovered in years of working in the education field is that there are no giveaways," Tenuta said, "Nothing is free." However, supporters argue that more schools than not do find the computer donations useful.

Sens. Abraham and Wyden may again seek to attach their bill to another measure if it appears to be the best way to move the legislation, according to a congressional aide.

A version of this article originally appeared in National Journal's Technology Daily, 2/1/00.

Coalition Readies Ed Tech Bill

Looking for the "next generation of education policies," New Democrat Coalition (www.house.gov/) members Reps. Cal Dooley (D-CA) and Ron Kind (D-WI) plan to introduce legislation that would link a traditional technology grant program to teacher training and student achievement.

Founded in 1997 by Representatives Cal Dooley, Jim Moran (D-VA) and Tim Roemer (D-IN), the New Democrat Coalition is a group of 63 centrist, pro-growth members of the House of Representatives who are working to find mainstream, bipartisan solutions to U.S. problems.

Dooley and Kind plan to drop the bill in February but have not set a firm date. Kind will take the lead because he is a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. The legislation would build on the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (www.ed.gov/Technology/TLCF), which has helped elementary and secondary schools purchase computer hardware and software since 1997. Dooley and Kind propose shifting the focus of the grant program from computer hardware to student learning. They suggest doing this by:

1. Encouraging school curricula that use computers to help teach basic skills,
2. Providing funding to purchase "proven and effective technology-based curricula,"
3. Requiring school districts to provide ongoing professional development for teachers, and
4. Giving states funding to integrate technology in student assessments.

Congress has appropriated $1.5 billion to the technology fund since 1997. Lawmakers approved $425 million for the program this year, the same level of funding as last year. Dooley said proposals by some Democrats that focus on school construction and targets for hiring new teachers are misguided. "Should school construction and looking for more teachers be the focus?" he asked. "Can we use technology in a way that enhances and compliments educators?"

The Republican-led House education committee also intends to make technology a major part of its education proposals this congressional session, spokeswoman Becky Campoverde said. Chairman William Goodling (R-PA) plans to emphasize technology programs as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Dooley said coalition members have been meeting with staffers from Sen. Bob Kerrey's (D-NE) office to see how they could get involved in the Web-based Education Commission. That commission, which has one year in which to send recommendations to Congress for how to better apply the Web to all levels of education, plans to hold its first formal hearing next week with Education Secretary Richard Riley and Commerce Secretary William Daley.

Prepared by Leslie Harris, Jee Hang Lee, and Ghani Raines
On behalf of the International Society for Technology in Education.