69传媒

Opinion
Federal Opinion

Directionless Dictates

By Doug Johnson 鈥 April 15, 2005 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

I鈥檝e always been a sucker for audacious goals advanced by the government. Putting a man on the moon. Connecting all schools to the Internet. Making sure every child is literate. If you鈥檙e going to make a plan, plan big.

So it was with great anticipation that I began reading the National Education Technology Plan, which was released by the U.S. Department of Education in January.For the $1.4 million the feds spent on it (which works out to about $20,000 perpage), it ought to be one heck of a plan.

Just a few things were missing--a coherent vision, baseline data on technology use in schools, empirical research indicating best practices, and measurable goals. Funny, these are all things that school districts like mine are asked to provide in our district technology plans. Out of the report鈥檚 60-odd pages, however, we did get six pages covering seven broad 鈥渁ction steps and accompanyingrecommendations.鈥

The first is 鈥渟trengthen leadership,"and personally, I鈥檇 suggest management and interpersonal skills training before technology training for most administrators. Among other things, the feds also want us to 鈥渃onsider innovative budgeting.鈥 Given the state of school finance, is there any other kind? 鈥淚mprove teacher training鈥 is ironic considering that the feds recently cut the Preparing Tomorrow鈥檚 Teachers to Use Technology program (better known as PT3), which was designed to do just that. As for 鈥渋ntegrate data systems,鈥 I wonder how many of the 210,000 students who provided the U.S. government with input mentioned the importance of this.

As you may have guessed, I found these recommendations uninspiring, things that most districts are already working toward rather than dreaming about. Say what you will about its ugly implementation, but the goals of No Child Left Behind are exciting--all children literate and all teachers highly qualified. The NCLB provision requiring that all children be technology literate by the end of 8th grade isn鈥檛 even mentioned in the NETP. And the issues we as educators think are important--what our children can and should be doing with technology--were simply left out.

Where are the NETP鈥檚 educational goals, such as ensuring that all students can use information technology to solve problems and communicate effectively? Or that everyone in schools can use online resources safely and ethically and that children with special needs can meet their educational goals through the use of adaptive technologies? How about permanently closing the digital divide by providing 24/7 access to online opportunities for every kid in the country?

I am curious to know whether any of the input the feds collected from practitioners and educational organizations was actually read. I don鈥檛 see my suggestions reflected in the plan, but then again, I didn鈥檛 expect that. My vision of technology use is rather different from that of the federal education department and technology companies with lobbying power.

Knowing that we currently have an administration that uses oil companies to write energy policy, I suspect that consultant and author (and one-time special ed teacher) Nancy Willard is correct in assuming that those companies with a strong economic interest in this plan had a major role in its construction, as well. On the well trafficked WWWEDU online forum, she calls the NETP a 鈥渂usiness growth plan for the educational technology and Internet companies鈥 and notes the enthusiastic response to the plan by the Software & Information Industry Association. She rightly questions who is 鈥渋n the driver鈥檚 seat鈥 of this plan--business or education?

Still, I鈥檓 not losing much sleep over this document, which for now amounts to only vague recommendations. Until federal funds are allocated with the requirement that one of its 鈥渁ction steps鈥 is addressed in order to receive them, I think we can all safely put the education department鈥檚 report on the shelf. It is far more important that our district and state tech plans reflect educational values.

The NETP is no 鈥渕an on the moon by the end of the decade鈥 challenge but rather an incomplete set of instructions on building a irectionless bottle rocket. What could have been an opportunity to help schools become technologically savvy turned out to be an expensive waste of time.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the May 01, 2005 edition of Teacher Magazine as Directionless Dictates

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Video Linda McMahon: 5 Things to Know About Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former pro-wrestling CEO Linda McMahon to lead the education department.
1 min read
Federal The K-12 World Reacts to Linda McMahon, Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
Some question her lack of experience in education, while supporters say her business background is a major asset.
7 min read
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Linda McMahon speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. McMahon has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as as the next secretary of education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates鈥攁nd detractors鈥攕ee a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69传媒," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69传媒," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal 5 Things to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 selection, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has long spoken favorably about school choice.
7 min read
Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018.
Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018, when she was serving as head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration. McMahon is now President-elect Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of education.
Susan Walsh/AP