Oakland, CA, March 5, 2008 — Computer Using Educators (CUE, Inc.) is proud to honor Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard of California's 34th District as the CUE 2008 Legislator of the Year for her sustained and extraordinary efforts to promote the educational use of technology to advance student achievement.

Representative Roybal-Allard is passionate about preparing students for the future. "Technology plays an absolutely critical role in preparing our children for the challenges of the 21st Century,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. “Regardless of whether students in my congressional district go on to college or whether they go straight to the workforce, technology will inevitably play a large role in their jobs and daily lives. We must provide them with the necessary skills to maintain a competitive edge in an environment that is increasingly dependent upon technology."

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is playing a major role in support of technology in education at the national and state level. Her most significant and relevant contribution is the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) Act (H.R. 2449), legislation that would extend and expand the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant programs as part of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The ATTAIN Act has been incorporated into both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate’s draft bills to reauthorize NCLB.

John Cradler, Co-chair of the CUE Legislative Advocacy Committee states, “Because of her support of ATTAIN, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard has helped ensure that the critical role that educational technology plays in the education of our students is not lost.”

For a more in-depth view of Congresswoman Roybal-Allard's views on education and technology, and to learn more about her support, CUE's member journal OnCUE published an interview with the legislator this past fall available at: www.cue.org/advocacy/.

The ATTAIN Act would overhaul EETT, improving support for disadvantaged schools and students and ensuring that teachers are properly equipped to use technology effectively. More specifically, it would focus funds on professional development and systemic reform that leverage 21st-century technologies, prioritize funding to schools in need of improvement, and require states to assess whether students have attained technological literacy by the 8th grade.

It was direct experience in the classroom that motivated the legislation. Representative Roybal-Allard shared, "I introduced the Achieving Through Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) Act because I saw first-hand the tremendous impact that technology can have on students. After visiting one Los Angeles area school in my district that seamlessly integrated technology in the classroom, I was amazed to see students that were previously low performers academically and at-risk of dropping out of school – many because they were non-native English speakers – now engaged and eager to learn."

The ATTAIN Act is based on input from education stakeholders, including the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), and Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) and Computer-Using Educators (CUE). Congresswoman Roybal-Allard has demonstrated continued commitment to education and technology by visiting technology-using schools in Los Angeles. CUE representatives have met with her staff in Washington DC and in her home office where she has expressed an interest in continuing to support the interests of CUE.

The first recipient of the award was the Ed Tech Action Network (ETAN), a collaborative effort of ISTE and CoSN. ETAN was formed to provide a unified voice in Washington, DC, as well as at the state level, in support of educational technology. ETAN provides a method of providing a call to action by members to make needed contacts with Senators or Congresspersons regarding pending legislation and assistance in what message needs to be communicated. As a direct result of ETAN’s efforts, several critical Ed Tech initiatives have moved forward. 

In addition to naming the CUE Legislator of the Year, CUE, Inc. has provided leadership in education and technology for 30 years through high quality professional development, legislative advocacy, publications, professional collaboration, and by producing California's premier educational technology conference. More information on CUE, Inc. is available at www.cue.org.