Teach42

From Ed-Tech Insider

The bad news came today via email from our state Deptartment of Education. The 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Bill approved by the House and Senate over the weekend includes large cuts in educational technology funding. The biggest cut comes to the State Education Technology Block Grant (Title II Part D) which will be cut from $692 million last year to $500 million this year, a 28% decrease in funding. Those Title II funds provide resources for professional development and technology integration to nearly every school district in the country.

This really is a shame. I mean, a horrible shame. Our school is incredibly well off on the whole, but there are still tons of areas that we simply can’t afford to put technology funds in to. The money from Title IID has funded our Jewish Studies computer lab, assistive technology for students with learning disabilities, and looks like it will be funding our initial investment into curriculum mapping. Those funds also paid for the workshops we hosted here at the Day School two summers ago which helped train about 50 or so teachers from independent schools. Last year, through pooled Title IID funds about 20 of us from here in the greater Chicago area all attended the Building Learning Communities conference. I’m not kidding when I say that it was a conference that changed the way I think about education, particularly as technology relates to it.

As I said, our school is pretty well off. There are hundreds of schools that depend on this money to fund their technology programs. A 28% cut is a pretty hefty chunk of change

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