A Selected List of State Education Technology Initiatives

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Descriptions of State Initiatives Provided by State Educational Technology Contacts and Respective SEA Web Sites

A report collected and edited by Elsie Brumback and Arthur Sheekey

The descriptions of state educational technology initiatives included in this report are an assemblage of responses to a request to the states' educational technology coordinators.* The initial request, which originated from Elsie Brumback, a leading national consultant on educational technology, was forwarded via e-mail on October 30, 2000 on behalf of the Council of Chief State School Officers. The appeal indicated that "CCSSO was planning to compile an annotated listing of some of the exciting technology initiatives that have been implemented in the various states." The request merely asked the state contacts to share with us one or possibly two technology initiatives that the state had implemented or expanded over the course of the past year; "an initiative(s) that you feel has made the most impact on the teaching and learning process (meaning...technology integration...student achievement...improved conditions for teaching and learning, etc.)."

It was from this list of voluntary submissions that the conference planning group was able to use in contacting and requesting presentations from the nine state officials who are describing the scope and consequences of their statewide initiatives during the 2000 State Educational Technology Conference at the Wyndham-Washington Hotel on February 22 and 23, 2001.

Our expectation is that the presentations and discussions during the conference will enable all states to share ideas and benefit from the experiences of establishing and using statewide and state-supported educational technologies and telecommunications services. The initiatives listed in this document are among many other state-sponsored projects that aim to support and extend standards-based educational reforms. All are being influenced by the availability of advanced telecommunications networks -- stimulated by nearly $6 billion from "e-rate" discounts, by the unique capacity of states to aggregate demands in an effort to ensure that all teachers and students are able to access and use electronic information resources, and by the need to create partnerships with service providers and other service agencies.

States recognize that investments in digital and web-based educational services are not a substitute for programs that strengthen the pool of highly qualified school administrators and classroom teachers. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence to conclude that state educational technology initiatives, particularly those spotlighted in this document, are strengthening the capacity of state and local educational agencies to expand opportunities for learning beyond schools and classrooms. State also seem to recognize that the public debate is moving beyond the issues of simply giving teachers and students access to computers and the Internet. The public is now more concerned about documenting the impact of technology and telecommunications services on learning and achievement. Finally, it should be noted that the increasing availability of commercial and publically-support e-learning services are contributing to new roles and responsibilities for state education agencies and placing new demands on states to provide leadership, support, and technical assistance for services that are available on a continuing basis for all of their citizens.

Helen Soulé, Conference Chair
Arthur D. Sheekey, Conference Coordinator
Elsie L. Brumback, Educational Technology Consultant

* Our intent is to revise and update this listing over the course of the coming year and, hopefully, to create a database of state educational technology and telecommunications initiatives that can be shared with education officials and stakeholders in states and regions throughout the entire nation.