Federal Resources

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
OSTP advises the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the impacts of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. OSTP also leads an interagency effort to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets as well as work with the private sector to ensure Federal investments in science and technology contribute to economic prosperity, environmental quality, and national security. They also build strong partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments, other countries, and the scientific community and evaluate the scale, quality, and effectiveness of the Federal effort in science and technology.

Department of Commerce
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
NTIA's Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications (OTIA) assists state and local governments, educational and health care entities, libraries, public service agencies, and other groups in effectively using telecommunications and information technologies to better provide public services and advance other national goals.

Federal Communications Commission
The FCC oversees the E-Rate (Education Rate), which provides affordable access to advanced telecommunications services for all eligible schools and libraries in the United States. Contact the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) at (202) 776-0200.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
More than 30 Federal agencies developed a web site to make hundreds of federally supported education resources available to enrich the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Educators and students utilizing this site will have access to a comprehensive overview of NASA's educational programs and services, along with a searchable program inventory that has cataloged NASA's educational programs. NASA's on-line resources specifically designed for the educational community are highlighted, as well as home pages offered by NASA's four areas of research and development (including Aero-Space Technology, Earth Science, Human Exploration and Development of Space, and Space Science Enterprises).

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
NEH's Edsitement assembles the best humanities resources on the web. Online lesson plans help teachers use more than 50 websites to enhance their teaching.

National Science Foundation (NSF)
The NSF funds research and education in science and engineering, through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Rural Utilities Service (RUS) The RUS provides funding for the construction of telecommunications infrastructures in rural America through the Telecommunications Program and improves access to educational and/or medical services through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Contact RUS at 202-720-457.

Non-Federal Resources

Taking TCO to the Classroom
The Department of Education, CoSN, NCREL, and Gartner launched its "Taking TCO to the Classroom" project to provide school leaders with tools to help them estimate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) involved when they build a network of computers and wire their classrooms to the Internet.

State Educational Technology Directors Association
SETDA promotes national leadership in educational technology to support achievement in lifelong learning, provides professional development for state educational technology directors and builds partnerships to advance learning opportunities and improve student achievement through technology.

The Council of Chief State School Officers
The Council of Chief State School Officers is a nationwide, nonprofit organization composed of public officials who lead the departments responsible for elementary and secondary education. In representing the chief educations officers, CCSSO works on behalf of the state agencies that serve pre K-12 students throughout the nation.

Education Leaders Council (ELC)
Education Leaders Council is committed to leading educational change focused on improved academic achievement for all students.

National Governor's Association (NGA)
The National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation's governors and one of Washington, D.C.'s, most respected public policy organizations. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing policy reports on innovative state programs and hosting networking seminars for state government executive branch officials.