ADVOCACY NEWS
JULY 2018
You spoke up; Congress listened!
You’re making a difference! Growing investments in edtech are expected in the fiscal year 2019 federal budget.
Your advocacy efforts were monumental in helping secure higher funding levels for education technology in fiscal year 2018, and they’ve carried through in considerations for the 2019 fiscal year budget. In late June, the Senate proposed $1.225 billion in funding for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant program authorized under Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This figure represents a $125 million funding increase over last year’s allocation and a $25 million increase over the fiscal year 2019 House proposal. If the Senate’s figure becomes law, states and districts could meaningfully invest in all of the areas this program supports: the effective use of technology, safe and healthy schools, and well-rounded education. The Senate’s funding bill also included $2.1 billion in funding for Title II, Part A of ESSA that provides ongoing professional development for teachers and school leaders, including professional development for the effective use of technology.
TAKE ACTION
Help us get through the final stretch by asking your members of Congress to vote for these investments in fiscal year 2019. Participate in our advocacy campaigns!
ESSA IMPLEMENTATION
The increased funding levels for the SSAE grant program under Title IV- A of ESSA create exciting new opportunities for edtech, along with a need to fully understand the program. In May, ISTE’s advocacy team, along with a special guest presenter Janice Mertes, assistant director of digital learning at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, held a free webinar to explain the rules and regulations of the program and share the most appropriate edtech-related activities the newly secured funding can be used for. Our team also issued a brief primer that addressed these issues and links to other resources.
TAKE ACTION
Let us know how your schools and districts invest their Title IV- A dollars and how you would like to see the funding used.
ISTE STANDARDS ADOPTION UPDATES
Congratulations to the state of Washington on the recent adoption of the ISTE Standards. Washington joins a growing list of states, districts and organizations that have adopted, endorsed or adapted the standards! That distinguished list of states, school districts and agencies leading transformation with the ISTE Standards includes Connecticut, Michigan, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Momentum to adopt the standards is also strong in many others states.
TAKE ACTION
If you’d like ISTE’s support in making the case for adopting the ISTE Standards in your state, reach out to us at advocacy@iste.org.
THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL ISTE CONFERENCE AND EXPO!
We loved the energy and passion you brought to the advocacy events and we appreciate your tireless commitment to the integration of edtech in state and federal policies.
AFFILIATE SUMMIT SESSION
ISTE’s advocacy team led a professional development session for state affiliate leaders at the Affiliate Summit on Saturday, June 23, that featured a high-level update on ISTE Standards adoptions and training on the building blocks of successful advocacy. The session included table discussions of what has worked in states that have already adopted the standards, as well as conversations about what may work in your state.
TAKE ACTION
If you’re a state affiliate leader and would like to receive an electronic copy of the presentation, please reach out to our team at advocacy@iste.org.
STATE ADVOCACY SESSION
We shared advocacy building blocks, impediments, processes and best practices with a group of educators and education leaders during a session held June 26. This interactive session titled “Be a Mastermind: How to Influence Policy in Your State,” included opportunities for participants to discuss their advocacy “hits and misses” with colleagues, and for a few brave attendees to model advocacy behaviors in front of the whole group.
TAKE ACTION
Review the presentation materials here! Please look for us again at future ISTE conferences!
ISTE NETWORKING FAIR.
We enjoyed meeting all of you who stopped by our booth to learn more about our team and, most importantly, about the impact we can have by being active advocates for edtech.
ISTE ADVOCACY TOOLKIT
Last month, we published “A User’s Guide to Your State Education Leadership,” the first in a series of new advocacy toolkits. We’ll follow soon with a substantial refresh of the existing Public Policy Plan document, now titled “10 Steps to Develop Your Public Policy and Advocacy Plan.”
TAKE ACTION
Check out our Advocacy Toolkit page for more helpful resources on federal and state advocacy and share it with one of your advocacy allies.