| I. Background II. Pre Planning Considerations III. The Planning Process |
IV. Plan Components V. Planning Resources VI. Planning Checklist |
I. Background
Goals 2000 promotes technology in education. The Goals 2000: Educate America Act offers a national vision and strategy "to infuse technology and technology planning into all educational programs and training functions carried out within school systems at the State and local level." (Public Law 103-227) The intent in Goals 2000 is that technology will provide a vehicle to expand and enhance learning opportunities for all students. Section 317 of Goals 2000, Improving Student Achievement Through Integration of Technology into the Curriculum, sets forth the minimum planning requirements for your State's technology plan.Goals 2000 offers both an opportunity and a challenge for educational reform by targeting the effective application of technology to support teaching and learning. The Act affords an opportunity for the State to redesign and improve its current technology plans, programs, and resources. The challenge for you, as a State planner, is to engage the State educational leadership along with local communities to design and implement a plan that uses technology to help students to achieve high standards.
Goals 2000 funding allocations for technology. Each State is allocated between $307,607 and $9,550,364 to develop a Goals 2000 State Improvement Plan to enhance elementary and secondary student learning and staff development in support of the National Educational Goals and State content and student performance standards. Additional funding has been allocated for the development of State technology plans, with allocations ranging from a minimum of $75,000 to a maximum of $390,688 per State.
First year funding must allocate 60% to school districts in the form of subgrants with the remaining 40% for your State to develop the State Improvement Plan. It is anticipated that second year funding will be significantly increased with 90% of the funding distributed to school districts through competitive subgrants. Subgrant funds are for professional development and/or local initiatives to support your State's reform plan. Since subgrants are a source of funding for the integration of technology at the local level, developers of technology for the State Improvement Plan should consider building technology into their subgrants program.
Resources to support Goals 2000 planning. Goals 2000 established the Office of Educational Technology, which is helping to coordinate resources for State and local technology planning. The Regional Educational Laboratories and various professional education organizations are also working in consultation with the Office of Educational Technology to provide direct assistance to State educational agencies for Goals 2000 planning.
II. Pre Planning Considerations
Planning to plan or getting ready to develop the plan is necessary. One of the most important things to keep in mind during each step of the Goals 2000 planning process from the vision to the revision is the integration of technology into curriculum reform. The following illustrates the integration of the technology plan and the State Improvement Plan.
The success of your plan is a function of the commitment level made by your plan's stakeholders to carry out the plan's implementation. For this reason, you will want to actively involve all agencies and organizations that will be directly and indirectly involved in implementation to ensure that the plan promotes and facilitates interagency coordination.
1. Establish a Goals 2000 technology task force. The first step is to form a task force to collaborate with relevant State agencies and organizations to develop the State technology plan.
2. Promote collaboration between the Goals 2000 Technology Task Force and the State Panel. The Goals 2000 State Panel and the technology task force need to jointly identify how technology resources will support and integrate the vision and objectives of the overall educational reform through the State Improvement Plan. Other preliminary considerations are: 1) involvement of existing public and private technology planning groups; 2) identification of all relevant technology/telecommunication plans and programs; 3) provision of staff and resources to assist in plan development and implementation.
III. The Planning Process
Specific planning steps should be applied to the development of each plan component. This may be viewed as a fluid process allowing for ongoing review and revi sion in your plan as needs, technology and resources change. The graphic below illustrates the relationship of the planning process to possible plan components and is followed by a brief discussion of the planning steps.
A. Vision
Your State's educational technology planners will want to establish a vision that coordinates with and enhances the vision of your State Improvement Plan. Your educational technology plan vision and related objectives should be flexible to accommodate changing national and local reforms coupled with new and emerging technologies.1. Use the National Education Goals to help guide the vision. The guiding feature of Goals 2000 is the eight National Education Goals. The technology task force may wish to consider ways that technology can support each of the National Goals as applied to the State.
2. Consider technology's role in education reform and Goals 2000. In developing your vision consider uses of technology to enhance systemic reforms suggested in the Goals 2000 Act and by your State Goals 2000 Panel.
3. Review already established visions for technology. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Education recently suggested visions for technology and the national information infrastructure (NII) that may serve as examples for States to consider.
4. Review research on technology in education. Be aware of current and emerging research on effective applications of technology to consider in developing the vision.
B. Needs and Resources Assessment
An assessment of the State's current needs for educators, students, and the community, as well as available technological resources, is necessary to establish relevant objectives for the technology plan. This information will also help you determine the resources and funding to consider in the design of the plan.1. Assess needs for technology and related resources to support instruction. A variety of methods including surveys, focus groups, town meetings, and review of existing State and local plans and programs along with input from existing planning groups can provide input for the needs assessment.
2. Assess resources to support the use of technology in education. Identify existing technology/telecommunication as well as training and technical assistance resources needed to meet the established needs.
3. Conduct an analysis of needs vs. resources to support technology. Carefully determine the discrepancy or "gap" between "what is" and "what should be" in terms of technology-based resources to help meet the needs of educators and learners in the State and guide the objectives of the plan.
C. Objectives
The analysis of State needs and resource assessments should provide the information you need to develop your plan's objectives towards realizing the vision for educational technology in your State. In addition to objectives that result from your State's unique needs, your technology plan will also need to consider the objectives specified in Goals 2000 and then integrate these objectives with those being established for the State Improvement Plan.1. Adapt the technology objectives in the Goals 2000 Act to your plan. Address the objectives specified by the Goals 2000 Act for the technology plan and relate these to your plan as appropriate.
2. Develop objectives to support statewide and local planning and needs. It is important to develop objectives directly relevant to the statewide and local needs, as well as those that will directly and indirectly support the educational goals and objectives of the State's Goals 2000 Improvement Plan.
D. Implementation and Funding
Establish an action plan for the implementation of each component of your plan. This usually involves activities such as the staffing of State and regional offices, agencies and programs; establishment of ongoing State advisory committees; notification of stakeholders; allocation of existing funding; and identification of long and short term funding to support the plan.1. Establish Benchmarks and timelines for the plan's implementation. Establish Òbenchmarks and timelinesÓ for the technology plan that are closely coordinated with, or incorporated into the Goals 2000 State Improvement Plan.
2. Prepare a statewide technology plan budget. Establish a funding estimate and a schedule for the development and implementation of each component of the plan.
3. Develop a funding strategy for the plan. Propose both short and long term funding sources for your statewide technology plan. These may range from business donations to special legislation or the leveraging of existing education budgets to support the plan.
E. Evaluation
The most commonly reported reason for the elimination or reduction of technology-based programs is the inability to offer convincing evidence that such programs directly impact improvement in student learning. Evaluation results are usually necessary to convince boards and legislatures to allocate funding for technology.1. Prepare a comprehensive statewide evaluation strategy for the technology plan. The State technology plan should suggest both a method for the assessment of each plan compo nent and an overall evaluation across programs. The plan for evaluating the technology plan should be designed within the context of the overall evaluation of the State Goals 2000 education reform plan.
2. Design a process for ongoing evaluation for the plan implementation. Continuously assess your progress in both implementation of each plan component and meeting the objectives of the plan.
3. Plan for an assessment of the statewide and local impact of the plan. Assess the impact of the plan implementation on student achievement and aggregate achievement information for schools. Assessment methods should closely relate to the objectives of the plan.
4. Establish a procedure for reporting evaluation findings. The outcome evaluation can be critical in justifying the continuation or expansion of the program. It is likely that a report on the progress and impact of the plan within the context of the overall Goals 2000 State Improvement Plan to the U.S. Department of Education will be required.
F. Revision
Effective plans must be implemented as planned, but must also be flexible and adjustable to changes in the education system, the community, and the students for which the plan is intended to serve. Coordinating agencies must constantly monitor implementation, outcomes, and benefits of each element of the plan. Use this information to inform adjustments in your plan.1. Establish a process for revising the plan as needed. Establish and implement a process through which the plan will be reviewed and periodically updated to meet changing needs.
2. Identify factors to guide revisions of the plan. Factors or criteria to consider in plan implementation review and revision include adequacy of funding, equity of access, new technological developments, statewide coordination, quality and impact of resources, changes in the State Improvement Plan and the changing needs of students.
IV. State Technology Plan Components
This section suggests possible components for your State technology plan and is based on both a review of existing State technology plans and the educational reform guidelines found in Goals 2000. This is not intended to serve as a template, rather it suggests possible areas of emphasis for your Goals 2000 technology plan. These suggested components are listed in the box below and are described in the following pages. The plan components you identify should be coordinated and connected and not implemented in isolation or as a set of seperate tasks.A. Statewide Coordination
The most often reported barrier to statewide technology implementation is a lack of State level coordination among and between the agencies with local needs and resources of education, and the various community agencies, and businesses. What follows are suggested ways to facilitate the successful coordination of the agencies involved in the implementation and revision of your technology plan.1. Establish a coordinated statewide structure for integration of technology into other educational programs. A structure that reflects a coordinated effort to integrate and implement the educational technology plan as part of the Goals 2000 State Improvement Plan is strongly advised.
2. Provide for coordination with other agencies and organizations. You may wish to consider establishing a State coordinating council to implement your plan with a coordinated strategy that minimizes fragmentation of technology resources. Effective coordination often involves all instructional departments within the department of education and other agencies as appropriate.
B. Standards and Reform
Technology should be viewed as a tool for educators and a resource that is built into the curriculum and instructional delivery system. Technology should increase opportunities for students to meet high standards while serving as a catalyst for education reform.1. Utilize technology to promote high performance standards. Consider ways to address applications of technology to support State education goals, curriculum frameworks, and instructional strategies in a variety of learning environments.
2. Link technology to the enhancement of student learning opportunities. Technology can serve to increase student learning opportunities for those to whom quality education is not readily available from the school to the home.
3. Apply technology to both assess and record student performance. Technology-based assessments offer the potential to assess student work in ways that can simulate and link to real life experiences with a more direct relationship to the State's academic and occupational performance standards.
4. Provide incentives for educational technology Research and Development (R&D). Promote collaborative research and development on current and emerging applications of technology to implement educational initiatives supporting State and National Education Goals and standards.
5. Provide for dissemination of information about technology related resources. Clearinghouses to disseminate identified exemplary technology-based programs and practices can help guide educators in their efforts to effectively integrate technology into curriculum and instruction.
6. Plan for technology applications in preparing students for the workforce. New workplace skills demand that almost all workers make extensive use of technology. This puts a related demand on education to incorporate technology awareness and applications in the development of School-to-Work programs.
7. Apply the uses of technology to meet the needs of at-risk students. Goals 2000 calls for the use of more challenging programs and adaptability of resources to meet the needs of students with special educational needs.
8. Adapt teacher certification requirements to address the educational applications of technology. Review your State teacher certification requirements to determine the extent to which they include instruction in the application of technology to support and enhance teaching.
C. Support Resources
Most States provide for regional agencies such as county offices of education, intermediate service agencies, cooperatives, consortia, and schools of education in colleges to provide direct services and information resources to school districts and school sites. It is important to take advantage of these agencies and make them a major component in the delivery of technology related services to schools.1. Provide staff development opportunities for the integration of technology into instruction. Technology is most effectively applied and integrated into instruction when its use is integral to both the preservice of new teachers and professional development for practicing teachers.
2. Provide ongoing technical assistance necessary to use technology and carry out the plan. Follow-up to staff development with technical assistance has been identified as the most critical requirement for the effective and sustained use of technology in education.
3. Promote business partnerships to support technology in education. Experience tells us that State and local partnerships with business and industry can serve to greatly expand access and use of technology in education.
D. Information Infrastructure
It is important to ensure that your State's education system can interact with and take full advantage of the many and varied information resources and communications opportunities rapidly becoming available on the emerging National Information Infrastructure (NII). The following suggest possible actions to consider when developing or expanding your State educational telecommunications network.1. Establish or adapt a statewide telecommunications infrastructure for education. Educators and learners are finding that access to telecommunications both as a way to communicate and obtain information serves as a unparalleled expansion of learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom.
2. Establish user-friendly electronic access to educational information resources. Educators should be able to take advantage of the many educational databases are maintained at the National, State and regional level on such topics as Goals 2000, curriculum resources, grant opportunities, new instructional strategies, educational reform, exemplary math and science programs, and many others.
3. Consider utilization of distance learning and instructional television. Distance learning programs and ITV provide increased opportunities for high quality instruction and staff development and can be a cost-effective means to provide access to a wide variety of subject areas in rural or other areas which lack quality resources.
4. Establish measures to protect the security of resources and users on the network. Different levels of security should be established to allow material with varying degrees of sensitivity to be transmitted in the most effective manner. Balancing the need for security and the need for open and free access to information is becoming an important challenge.
5. Establish standards that promote interoperability of hardware and software. Assuring interoperability in your technology plan will allow both hardware and software devices to ÒtalkÓ with one another and insure their access to a variety of telecommunications environments. Ultimately, this will lower costs, support equity of access and eliminate what teachers frequently report as a major barrier to technology use.
6. Provide support for the procurement and use of hardware. Essential for the implementation of any technology plan is the use of regional and local resources to support equipment installation, maintenance, and repair of technology.
7. Establish or adapt a statewide system for the electronic transfer of information between education and community agencies. Information that is electronically accessible when and where it is needed should be a high priority to effectively plan and access resources in the school and the community to serve the individual needs of students.
E. Local Applications
The Goals 2000 Act states that ÒEach State improvement plan shall include strategies for ensuring that comprehensive, systemic reform is pro moted from the bottom up in communities, local educational agencies, and schools, as well as guided by coordination and facilitation from State leaders.Ó Local applications of technology must be established to maximize opportunities for students to meet National, State, and local performance standards.1. Describe local planning strategies for introducing technology into schools and other educational environments. Local planning is as critical as State planning and should involve teachers, parents, and administrators in the design of a school vision and plan that supports the local needs of students and staff. Such planning must extend directly into the classroom and other learning environments if it is to be relevant.
2. Consider guidelines for the local integration of technology into the Goals 2000 sub grants. The Goals 2000 school/district sub grants provide an opportunity to implement your State technology plan as part of the overall local educational improvement plan.
3. Consider the use of technology in adult literacy programs. Collaborate with your State literacy resource centers, local educational agencies, adult and family literacy providers and public libraries to ensure that technology can be used by adults and family literacy providers after school hours.
4. Consider the use of technology to link community agencies with the school. Establish applications of technology to promote interagency communications, information access, and more efficient coordination of resources between schools and community agencies.
5. Utilize technology to increase parental interaction with local education resources. Technology provides an important vehicle to facilitate increased involvement of parents by connecting the home with the school and other educational environments.
Bibliography
Cradler, John. Planning to Integrate Technology into Teaching and Learning. California League of Middle Schools, Irvine, CA, 1994.Cradler, John. Comprehensive Study of Educational Technology Programs in California Authorized From 1984-92. Far West Laboratory, San Francisco, 1991.
Hawkins, J. Technology and the Organization of Schooling. Bank Street College of Education, New York, 1993.
Means, Barbara, et. al. Using Technology to Support Education Reform. OERI, Washington DC, 1993.
The National Information Infrastructure: Requirements for Education and Training. National Coordinating Committee on Technology in Education and Training (NCC-TET), Washington DC, 1994.
Putting the Information Infrastructure to Work: Report of the Information Infrastructure Task Force Committee on Applications and Technology. NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, 1994.