Report on E-Rate and the Digital Divide

Report on Teachers' Use of Technology

Technology Conference Webcast, Papers

A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

I'm sure that many of you, like me, are recovering from your summer vacations with families.

But vacation is over, and it is back-to-school time. The theme of this fourth national conference, "Educational Technology: Measuring Impacts and Shaping the Future," is a perfect topic for back-to-school time. It focuses on impacts, which in my book means improving student performance, the bottom line in education. And this conference looks forward to how future technologies will reshape in positive ways our fundamental concepts of "school" and "classroom."

I have a personal stake in the future of education. Here's a picture of Will. This is a photo of my youngest grandchild, Will. When he begins school in 4 or 5 years, his experience will likely be only slightly different from the one many of us had. But as he gets older and as new educational technologies make their way into schools, our experiences are going to rapidly diverge.

Instead of lugging 20 pounds of books to his classes, Will may carry a lightweight "e-book" that contains all the curriculum resources for all of his classes. He may use his home or school computer to manipulate a camera and microphone to learn about life on the streets of Beijing or Bombay. And he may study Eskimo cultures through virtual reality-with virtual igloos, ice fishing, and maybe even arctic temperatures.

I'm sure his mother will tell him to wear a warm jacket. Some things never change.

I can't fully imagine the school experience that my grandson will have, but I know it will be better because of your efforts, because of the federal, state, and local educational technology initiatives and because of business partners like Eric Benhamou of the 3COM Corporation. He is committed to erasing illiteracy and closing the digital divide, and his company is providing resources to make it happen.

One of the reasons for the success of educational technology is the Education-Rate or E-Rate, which has helped bring powerful technologies to our nation's students, especially those from low-income and minority backgrounds. Today, I am pleased to release a new report, E-Rate and the Digital Divide. This important report confirms that E-Rate discounts are helping the schools that need it most. We are indeed successfully closing the digital divide.

The E-Rate program has provided America's public schools with more than $3 billion. Three out of four public schools and districts applied for the E-Rate in the program's first 2 years. Most importantly, the per-pupil funding for high-poverty schools is more than twice the national average and almost 10 times that of the wealthiest schools.

The E-Rate and educational technology can open up tremendous opportunities for students-but only if teachers are trained to use it effectively. We are releasing a second study today, from the National Center for Education Statistics, that examines teaching and technology. The report, Teachers' Tools for the 21st Century: A Report on Teachers' Use of Technology, finds that 99 percent of teachers have access to computers or the Internet somewhere in their schools.

However, not all teachers are prepared to use technology effectively. We are doing well with young teachers and teachers who have had many hours of professional development. They are likely to make excellent use of classroom computers. But we need to make sure that all teachers-of all ages, in every school-are comfortable with the new technologies that students need in the 21st century.

To better prepare teachers and keep them up to date, all of us have to get serious about this issue. We need more school-college partnerships and more private-public partnerships. And we at the national level should contribute more, also.

We are asking Congress to double the funding, to $150 million, to help prepare teachers to use technology. Unfortunately, Congress hasn't fully agreed to this increase. But it isn't too late. In the next few weeks, they have another opportunity to fully fund this initiative.

Another challenge for us: While much of the funding for the E-Rate has gone to high-poverty schools, the poorest of the poor are not yet benefiting as much as they should from the E-Rate. Many of the poorest schools can't even afford the 10 percent match or can't overcome other obstacles-such as 19th-century school buildings-that prevent them from taking advantage of 21st-century technology.

Let me state this as plainly as I can: All of our students deserve well-trained teachers, Internet access, and appropriate educational technology in order to help them learn, to help them get to college, and to help them succeed in 21st-century jobs. This will probably require a greater investment of public funds and an even greater effort from private industry.

Eric, those who give are asked to give more. Our nation is grateful for what you and 3COM and other companies have done so far. But we need to build even stronger partnerships and to work more closely with teachers and students. With stronger partnerships, we can help invent better tools and applications for learning in areas such as reading, math, science, second languages, art, and music.

If we do that, we can come closer to the American ideal of equal opportunity for all. To achieve this goal, we need to reach out to the poorest of the poor, which means working hard to provide equal access to a quality education. That is a key civil right for the 21st century.

I recently visited quite a few schools in one of the poorest rural areas of the country. Two weeks ago, I traveled by bus through the Mississippi Delta region. In these rural schools, I saw how technology, along with a supportive community, caring parents, and good teaching, can transform a school.

In Hollandale, Mississippi, for example, I saw a distance learning program with enormous potential. Bob Moses, a teacher in Jackson, Mississippi, has had tremendous results with the Algebra Project. Now, using distance learning, he's bringing this effective program to more and more students.

In some of our nation's poorest communities, technology is bringing better education to more and more students. And here in this room, there are students who are doing incredible work with technology. I understand that we have students from Fairfax County, Virginia, just across the river from here, our doing a Web-cast for the conference. Thank you for helping us get the word out about this conference.

Students at South Burlington High School in Vermont are using state-of-the-art technology to produce computer graphics that rival the work of professionals. Are the students from South Burlington here? Now, don't tell anybody I said this, but according to Linda Roberts-the director of my Department's Office of Educational Technology-your projects are as good as the work done by the folks in the movie industry.

One more example: Students and teachers who work on projects such as the International Education and Resource Network, or I*EARN, are adding to our knowledge of the world and contributing to Internet resources. They are better students, and they are learning that they can work with people from other nations and form friendships with them. I think that's a great lesson.

This is what educational technology is all about: Students who master reading and math, then go well beyond the basics to become experts and citizens of the world. When I see students like the ones at this conference, I am very optimistic about the education of my grandchildren and of future generations.

I am delighted that all of you have joined us for this conference, especially those from more than 40 countries who have traveled great distances to be here. Before closing, I want to urge both my American friends and my new friends from other countries to find ways to use technology to help create more dialogue and exchanges among students and teachers in all our countries.

Thank you all for your commitment to education and for everything that you do to ensure that educational technology will help our nation's children to believe in themselves and fulfill their incredible promise.

Thank you very much.