The FY2011 (2011-12 school year) budget proposal released today by the Obama Administration would dramatically remake the federal education landscape in the name of flexibility and alignment around the four assurances. Among the changes would be the “consolidation” of the Enhancing Education Through Technology program (and 38 others down to 11), perhaps ending some 15+ years of targeted USED investment in educational innovation and improvement through technology only recently touted by 30+ national education and high-tech organizations and supported in the stimulus. While SIIA has been ensured of the goal to integrate technology throughout, those details to date are not available.
Flexibility to use an array of federal program funds to meet educational needs through technology is an important principle, and in fact, advocacy by SIIA and others has ensured technology is already allowed in most core U.S. Department of Education programs (though much more work is needed). The flexibility is most often taken advantage of by those with the vision, capacity and existing success. The questions therefore are: What federal leadership teeth will be given to the integration policies to drive technology-based practices that would not otherwise happen. And what will happen to those many communities and teachers without the vision, capacity and resources, if targeted investment is no longer provided? EETT has been successful in targeting high-need schools especially in building local capacity and providing needed professional development. Pending bipartisan legislation would build on those successes and revamp the program.
Among the other major proposals as part of a $3.5 billion overall increase: $1.35 B for RttT, $500 M for i3, $200 M more for literacy and STEM, $354 more for school improvement/turnaround, $800 M more for innovative teacher and leader reforms/recruitment/preparation, and slight increases for Title I and IDEA to about $25 B total. Included is a shift in some cases from formula to competitive programs, while much of the proposal depends upon uncertain enabling legislation through the ESEA/NCLB reauthorization. [Note that SIIA will be further analyzing the proposal for its members in the days ahead.]
SIIA looks forward to learning more about the Administration’s proposals, and working with the USED and other stakeholders to ensure that any new federal policy paradigm pushes real transformation and closes the gap of educational improvement enabled by educational technologies.