Goals 2000: Educate America Act

Goals 2000: Educate America Act Technology in Education Reform

Prepared by John Cradler and Elizabeth Bridgforth, Far West Laboratory

Goals 2000: Educate America Act is a major national initiative to promote educational reform by establishing national education goals and standards to be attained through State and locally planned initiatives and the use of technology. Goals 2000 supplies a national vision and strategy to infuse technology and technology planning into all educational programs and training functions carried out within school systems.

The infusion of technology and telecommunications into teaching and learning has become widely viewed as an effective means of increasing opportunities for learning. By encouraging school planning and use of technology, Goals 2000 can facilitate the development of world-class educational standards to enable all students to achieve the National Education Goals and meet the challenges of the 21st Century workplace.

National Leadership

Goals 2000 establishes the U.S. Office of Educational Technology within the Department of Education, that will develop a national plan for the educational application of technology and the National Information Infrastructure (NII) to support and enhance State education reform. Eventually this office will administer a variety of educational technology grants programs.

Technology Task Force

To ensure that all stakeholders are represented in the reform effort, Goals 2000 suggests the formation of a State Technology Task Force, representative of the State's education stakeholders, to work directly with the Goals 2000 State Planning Panel and to collaborate with relevant State agencies. The Task Force will develop the State technology plan with a shared vision for reform that is based on the needs of the State's students and teachers.

State Planning

Goals 2000 will fund entitlement grants to states to develop comprehensive reform plans and integrate technology plans to support existing and emerging programs and staff development for teachers and administrators. State technology plans should include the following:

  • State and National Standards

    Plans should develop standards to address applications of technology to support State education goals and curriculum content. The utilization of technology can help equalize opportunities to learn, especially for disadvantaged students, and prepare students for the school-to-work transition.

  • Information Infrastructure

    The Goals 2000 plan encourages States to establish or expand existing Statewide telecommunications infrastructures for education to offer interactive capabilities. States should be aware of the emerging National Information Infrastructure and ensure that a Statewide telecommunication system can inter-act with and take full advantage of the NII to connect schools and resources.

  • Support Resources

    A principal component of Goals 2000 is to ensure that educators have access to staff development, technical assistance, and support services to effectively implement educational technology programs. Goals 2000 also notes the support, direction, and assistance that can be obtained from business and industry and encourages such education-business partnerships.

  • Local Implementation

    Following State plan development in 1994-95, 90% of State funding will be allocated for "subgrants" to school districts to develop or implement local improvement plans. As with the State, LEAs will be asked to develop broad consensus regarding these plans. After district plan development, at least 75% of the district allocation will go to school sites for development and implementation of their improvement plans. 50% of the school site grants must serve students of low income families. Subgrants will also be directed at professional development for teachers and administrators.

  • Evaluation

    State and local education agencies receiving Goals 2000 funds must provide for the continual assessment of education needs and evaluation of the technology plan's impact on student achievement. State plans must be flexible for revisions according to evaluation results.

    Funding

    Congress appropriated $105 million for fiscal year 1994, to jump start the Goals 2000 State and local education reform planning. A total of $5 million has been designated for funding Technology Planning State Grants ranging from $75,000 to $390,688 per State.

    Goals 2000 Assistance

    The U.S. Department of Education is providing assistance to states in the development of reform plans. Contact the Goals 2000 office at 800-USA-LEARN, or visit the Department's Internet server, which contains such information as how to organize communities to reach the National Education Goals.

    For more information, contact Far West Laboratory, (415) 565-3018, ebridge@fwl.org