Enhancing Education through Technology Program (EETT) Eliminated

Congress has passed the long-awaited spending bill that will finance the Department of Education and other federal agencies through the end of September. Unsurprisingly, there were cuts. One such cut was the Enhancing Education through Technology Program (EETT). But what’s often not discussed about cuts is the set of holes they leave behind after the numbers signed into reality.

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of attending an event held by the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET), which celebrated the release of a report showcasing how the EETT has improved teaching and learning. The report and the presentations of the panelists at the event set out to mobilize educators to see technology as a way forward for our schools—for teachers and students alike.

What the report and the panelists did so well was highlight that technology is a cost-effective and exciting way forward for teaching and learning but not simply a cheaper way to reproduce on a larger scale the most unimaginative pedagogy. Two important points emerged, often missing from the discussion of technology in education: 1) professional development, focused on innovative pedagogy is essential for innovative use of technology in the classroom and 2) technology when used to its full potential by skilled, networked practitioners extends both the reach and depth of the curriculum, enhancing student learning and the job of the teacher.

One panelist described a teacher in a small town using new technology and skills gained in professional development sessions to create interactive podcasts for a blind student, who otherwise would have had difficulty reviewing lessons at home. Another panelist discussed how teachers in his large rural state were creating a collaborative state-wide network, which allowed educators to share resources and participate in webinars. This program enabled teachers, many of whom work in districts that cannot provide substitute teachers, to work together to improve practice in a sustained and meaningful away that did not require them to miss school. In another state, teachers were engaging in a similar online professional development program that focused on options for renewable energy in their state, a conversation that has now been opened to students.

These projects, all of which were funded through the now-eliminated EETT, will likely end. EETT was cut, leaving holes where these truly innovative programs were once allowing teachers to collaborate and innovate—to move education forward. In these lean times, surely some programs will have to go. Some holes are inevitable. But the 100 million dollar EETT was doing for relatively little money a lot of what the Administration is calling for: innovation. Furthermore, technology is not going away; it is the future. It is dangerous, then, to cut funding for the very programs that equip our educators with the tools and skills to help our students today face a future we cannot even imagine.