Issue and Action Center

Support the E-Rate Program

The E-Rate is a vital program that must be preserved as Congress considers changes to current telecommunications law. Since 1998, E-Rate has been the driving force to ensure that nearly all students and teachers - regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances - gain access to online resources. For the E-Rate to continue, it is critical that:

1. E-Rate’s annual cap is increased to meet skyrocketing demand; 
2. E-Rate funds flow without interruption; and

3. that E-Rate is not subject to unreasonable new laws or regulations.

BACKGROUND

The E-Rate is a part of universal service, a support mechanism that was created in 1934 to ensure that rural consumers had affordable phone service. The E-Rate program, authorized under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, represents an extension of universal service. It provides public and private schools and libraries with discounts of 20%-90% for telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal connections. Since its inception in 1998, it has played a major role in increasing public school classroom Internet connections from 14% in 1998 to 94% in 2005. The E-Rate has also helped low-income, minority and rural students gain near equal access in their classrooms to their peers around the country. Demand for the program remains strong as discount requests frequently exceed E-Rate’s $2.25 billion annual cap.

RAISE THE E-RATE PROGRAM CAP

One of the major challenges faced by the E-Rate in recent years has been the inadequacy of the $2.25 billion annual funding cap. Each year, the E-Rate program receives more than 30,000 applications seeking funding. Demand for the program, particularly for Priority I services, normally outstrips available funding and the program is rapidly reaching the point where no Priority II funding will be available to anyone. ISTE and CoSN support the FCC’s recent decision to adjust the cap annually based on inflation but believe still more support is needed to satisfy demand.

ANTI-DEFICIENCY ACT LEGISLATION

Between August and December of 2004, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) was forced to temporarily shut-down the program because it believed that it was about to violate the federal Anti Deficiency Act (ADA). Under the ADA, federal agencies must have sufficient cash on hand to cover all program obligations. USAC collects E-Rate funds quarterly, so not all E-Rate dollars are available when USAC sends out annual funding commitment letters to applicants. In 2004, when USAC and the FCC determined that the commitment letters constituted obligations under the ADA, and that it had insufficient cash on hand to cover those obligations, USAC stopped sending the letters, causing some districts to turn off their service and many others to endure major funding delays.

Over the past seven Congressional sessions, Congress has passed and the President has signed legislation to temporarily exempt E-Rate and all of universal service from the ADA. The next ADA exemption expires on December 31, 2011. Without the enactment of an additional temporary exemption or a permanent exemption, the E-Rate could face another shut-down.

Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) have introduced legislation, S. 297, which would make permanent the ADA exemption for E-Rate and all of universal service. ISTE and CoSN support this bill.

Recommendations to Congress:
1.  Raise the E-Rate’s annual cap to a level adequate to meet program demand.
2.  Permanently exempt the E-Rate program from the Anti Deficiency Act.

Support the Enhancing Education Through Technology Program
Restore Funding to $100 Million in FY12

Technology is critical in our schools to both meet state academic goals and ensure students are prepared to compete in the 21st Century. America cannot create a competitive workforce and revive its struggling economy if its schools do not have technology-proficient educators, well-equipped classrooms, sufficiently supported administrative structures, and a curriculum that recognizes the role technology plays in all disciplines. The final FY11 appropriations package, which zeroed-out the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program, and the Obama Administration’s FY12 proposal to eliminate EETT funding for a second year will not move us towards the goal of ensuring that all classrooms are technology rich.

LEGISLATIVE AND FUNDING BACKGROUND

Congress authorized EETT within the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to provide school districts, particularly those serving low income students, with the resources necessary to integrate technology into learning. Congress supported EETT because it recognized that technology has an important role to play in achieving key NCLB goals, including raising student achievement, ensuring high quality teaching, and increasing parental involvement.

Specifically, EETT helps NCLB’s goals by supporting:

• professional development to ensure teachers are highly qualified by providing online training and enhancing their skills to integrate digital resources into the classroom;
  
• the implementation of effective and appropriate educational software and digital content for use in curriculum, instruction, and classroom/school administration;
  
• computer-assisted and online testing, as well as data-driven decision making systems, that allow for more immediate, relevant, and meaningful assessment of student skills; and
  
• technology-based strategies to improve parental involvement, including improved communication with teachers and access to student assignments and grades.

EETT allocates funds to states based on the Title I formula. The states in turn reallocate 50% of the funds to local districts by the Title I formula and 50% competitively. While districts must reserve a minimum of 25% of all EETT funds for professional development, recent studies indicate that most EETT recipients use far more than 25% of their EETT funds to train teachers to use technology and integrate it into their curricula.

EETT, THE ECONOMY, AND COMPETITIVENESS

EETT is critical to the nation’s economy and future workforce competitiveness. President Obama has repeatedly cited the importance of students from Chicago being able to compete with students from other countries. EETT provides all students, especially those who lack access to technology at home, with opportunities to gain the critical technology skills and knowledge that are prerequisites for obtaining jobs in our global, information-technology rich marketplace. These skills include technology literacy, communication, problem solving, and self-directed learning. A 2003 US Department of Commerce report credits American industry’s massive investments in information technology with “producing positive and probably lasting changes in the nation’s economic potential.” Unfortunately, the same study indicates that, of the 55 industries surveyed, education ranked dead last in the intensity of its use of information technology. In a global economy that is increasingly replete with and dependent upon information technology, we cannot short-change America’s students. Our nation’s future depends on it!

EETT HELPS IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Even though EETT recipients are afforded broad discretion in their use of EETT funds, surveys show that they target EETT dollars towards improving student achievement in reading and math, engaging in data driven decision making, and launching online assessment programs. This investment has proven fruitful, as exemplified in the districts below:

• In 11 states - Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah - schools have been using the Enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS) program, which blends state-of-the-art technology with over 200 hours of professional development for teachers. Instructional strategies focus on inquiry based teaching, higher-order thinking skills and cooperative learning. As demonstrated by a high-quality series of research studies, eMINTS is paying off academically for students and teachers, but most especially those who are at-risk or with special needs. For all subjects, the gap between eMINTS and non-eMINTS students by group-those with an individualized education program (IEP), in a Title I school, who qualified for the free and reduced-price lunch program (FRLP), minority-is statistically significant and grows over time.
  
• In Hawaii, a consortium of two elementary schools, Noelani and Pauoa Elementary Schools, built technology literacy for students and teachers through rich, technology-enabled curriculum and project based instruction. Using innovative curriculum development and mentoring between the schools, students engaged in projects in robotics, demonstrated work using podcasts and documentaries, and participated in online programs. Teachers developed class websites, collaborative discussion sites, wikis, and blogs. The professional development component included a coaching model, focused on technology integration. Both schools attained gains on the state assessment, with the greatest gains made by the targeted Title I students. Reading improved from 55% to 60%, and math improved from 39% to 49% in 18 months. Writing proficiency increased from 36% to 74% at Noelani, and from 5% to 54% at Pauoa Elementary School.
  
• Santa Clara California Unified School District’s EETT grant worked to increase mathematics achievement for 5th grade students who scored “below proficient” on the state standards test by using technology tools including interactive whiteboards, student response systems and digital content. Participating teachers received professional development in technology integration and differentiated instruction, with follow-up support from math mentors. Positive changes were made and attributed to this program. At the beginning of the grant, 20% of the teachers were proficient in providing small group instruction, and by the end of the grant, 100% of teachers were providing differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction increased from 60% to 100% of classroom time. Of the 129 Buchser Middle School student participants, 51% gained at least one level on the state standard test, and 77% improved their scaled score. Average scaled score improved 28 points in two years. At Cabrillo Middle School, 32% of the students gained at least one level on the state standard test, and 62% improved their scaled score. Average scaled score improved 18 points in two years.
  
• In the urban, diversely populated school district of Edgewater Park, New Jersey the goal of the Implementing New Curricular Learning with Universally Designed Experiences (INCLUDE) EETT grant was to increase academic achievement in mathematics by using research-based instructional practices in conjunction with the effective integration of educational technology practices. The INCLUDE grant provided the needed funding to support teachers as they improved their classroom skills and revised the mathematics curricula using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Teachers learned to meet each student’s needs by implementing the UDL framework along with educational technology best practices and collaborating with in-class coaches. Students with special needs demonstrated a 22% gain between a pre and post-test mathematics assessment, whereas the general education population gained 3%. Also, the students labeled as economically disadvantaged, an historically lower scoring population, demonstrated 10% growth compared to 1% for non-disadvantaged students

EETT FUNDING HISTORY

Although Congress authorized NCLB at $1 billion per year, EETT has never received more than $700 million in annual funding. In 2009, EETT received $269.9 million in the FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Act and an additional $650 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). However, Congress approved the Obama Administration’s budget for FY10 that cut EETT by 63%, leaving it with only $100 million. Final FY11 appropriations eliminated all funding for the EETT program. The Administration has proposed a second year of zero dollars for EETT in its FY12 budget. 

CoSN and ISTE oppose the elimination of EETT and seek to have its funding restored to at least the FY10 funding levels of $100 million. 

CoSN and ISTE Recommendation to Congress:
Restore the EETT program to at least $100 million in the FY12 Appropriations Process.

Support the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act (ATTAIN)

Educational technologies are critical to meeting the central goals of NCLB to improve student achievement and ensure that all teachers are highly qualified. They are also an important resource to equip today’s students with the technology skills and knowledge necessary to prepare them for the world beyond the classroom. The Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act (ATTAIN), which is a proposed revamp of the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program, must be enacted separately or as part of a newly reauthorized No Child Left Behind Act.

BACKGROUND ON ATTAIN ACT

Recognizing the diminished funding support for EETT, CoSN, ISTE, the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), and the Software Information and Industry Association (SIIA) joined forces to update the existing EETT program as Congress prepared to reauthorize NCLB. Working closely with our respective memberships, we developed the ATTAIN legislation, which would revamp EETT by creating two programs: a formula block grant program that updates EETT, and a nationwide competitive grant program that becomes operational if annual appropriations falls below $300 million.

Purpose and Goals

The purpose of the ATTAIN Act is to raise student achievement, close the achievment gap, ensure all students have access to highly effective teachers and to prepare all students to be technology literate and career ready. The ATTAIN Act would provide teachers and administrators with the resources to more effectively collect and use student performance and other data to inform instruction and personalize learning, to implement online and blended learning opportunities for systematic education transformation, and to increase education productivity and reduce costs.

Funding Trigger

State Competitive Grants-If the appropriation for ATTAIN for any given year is less than $300 million, all funds will be awarded by the Secretary of Education via a national competitive grant program, where state consortia are the only eligible grant applicants.  States may use 25% of funds for state level activities; the remaining 75% must be allocated to LEAs. 

• Grant Applications must include evidence of state priorities supporting the enhanced use of technology, including online and blended learning for systematic education transformation and curricula redesign and new instructional strategies to personalize learning. The applications must also reflect state support for preparing for and administering state assessments online, using technology and blended learning to improve education productivity and reduce education costs, and preparing the capacity of school administrators to lead systemic transformation through technology.

State and Local Grants-If the appropriation for ATTAIN for any given year is equal to or more than $300 million, the funds will be allocated to states based on Title I formula (same as current law). The Secretary of Education shall distribute 60% of funds to LEAs by formula funds and 40% through competitive grants.

• Formula grants will have a minimum size of $3000 to assure that district allocations are of sufficient size to have impact. 40% of formula grants must be set-aside for professional development that emphasizes the importance of timely and on-going training. 
• Competitive grants will focus on schools and districts working on systematic school reform built around the use of technology for innovate redesign of curriculum, instruction, assessment and use of data. Schools that are identified as in need of improvement will have priority, including those with a large share of limited English proficient students and students with disabilities. 25% of the grant must be used for professional development activities, including the acquisition and implementation of technology tools.

The Senate ATTAIN bill, S.1178, is cosponsored by Senators Bingaman (D-NM), Murray (D-WA), and Blumenthal (D-CT).

Recommendation to Congress:
Enact the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) Act.