§6811. Findings

The Congress finds that-

(1) technology can produce far greater opportunities for all students to learn to high standards, promote efficiency and effectiveness in education, and help propel our Nation's school systems into very immediate and dramatic reform, without which our Nation will not meet the National Education Goals by the target year 2000;

(2) the use of technology as a tool in the teaching and learning process is essential to the development and maintenance of a technologically literate citizenry and an internationally competitive workforce;

(3) the acquisition and use of technology in education throughout the United States has been inhibited by-

(A) the absence of Federal leadership;

(B) the inability of many State and local educational agencies to invest in and support needed technologies;

(C) the limited exposure of students and teachers to the power of technology as a cost-effective tool to improve student learning and achievement;

(D) the lack of appropriate electrical and telephone connections in the classroom; and

(E) the limited availability of appropriate technology-enhanced curriculum, instruction, professional development, and administrative support resources and services in the educational marketplace;

(4) policies at the Federal, State, and local levels concerning technology in education must address disparities in the availability of technology to different groups of students, give priority to serving students in greatest need, and recognize that educational telecommunications and technology can address educational equalization concerns and school restructuring needs by providing universal access to high-quality teaching and programs, particularly in urban and rural areas;

(5) the increasing use of new technologies and telecommunications systems in business has increased the gap between schooling and work force preparation, and underscores the need for technology policies at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels that address preparation for school-to-work transitions;

(6) technology can enhance the ongoing professional development of teachers and administrators by providing constant access to updated research in teaching and learning by means of telecommunications, and, through exposure to technology advancements, keep teachers and administrators excited and knowledgeable about unfolding opportunities for the classroom;

(7) planned and creative uses of technology, combined with teachers adequately trained in the use of technology, can reshape our Nation's traditional method of providing education and empower teachers to create an environment in which students are challenged through rigorous, rich classroom instruction provided at a pace suited to each student's learning style, and in which students have increased opportunities to develop higher order thinking and technical skills;

(8) schools need new ways of financing the acquisition and maintenance of educational technology;

(9) the needs for educational technology differ from State to State;

(10) technology can provide students, parents, teachers, other education professionals, communities, and industry with increased opportunities for partnerships and with increased access to information, instruction, and educational services in schools and other settings, including homes, libraries, preschool and child-care facilities, adult and family education programs, and postsecondary institutions;

(11) the Department, consistent with the overall national technology policy established by the President, must assume a vital leadership and coordinating role in developing the national vision and strategy to infuse advanced technology throughout all educational programs;

(12) Federal support can ease the burden at the State and local levels by enabling the acquisition of advanced technology and initiating the development of teacher training and support as well as new educational products;

(13) leadership at the Federal level should consider guidelines to ensure that educational technology is accessible to all users with maximum interoperability nationwide;

(14) the rapidly changing nature of technology requires coordination and flexibility in Federal leadership; and

(15) technology has the potential to assist and support the improvement of teaching and learning in schools and other settings.

(Pub. L. 89–10, title III, §3111, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, §101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3637 .)