This analysis from NASBE details how the Utah State Board of Education helped school districts across the state ensure that teachers and leaders have the capacity and skills to deliver digital learning in the classroom. The piece also identifies important lessons for other states looking to implement a statewide program to promote digital learning.

As California schools move into online testing and online learning, an adequate technology infrastructure is no longer an option, but a necessity. To fully benefit from digital learning, schools will require a comprehensive technology infrastructure that can support a range of administrative and instructional tools. An earlier PPIC report found…

This study investigated how students in two states, one with and one without a state-wide one-to-one laptop program, performed on measures of online research and learning in science. The study replicated and extended the findings of a recent study using more current and more extensive data. In general, this study adds to the body of research…

This is the first in a forthcoming series of reports documenting state administration of educational technology funding included in the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" (ARRA). The ARRA included a $650 million allocation in ESEA Title II, Part D, commonly referred to as the "Enhancing Education through Technology…

The "Local Technology Plan Guidelines" serve as the basis for the Department's annual technology data collection. This report takes a look at the data submitted by 344 school districts, examining the progress Massachusetts school districts are making in meeting the recommended guidelines. In doing so, it will gauge the degree to which…

This paper describes the implementation and evaluation for scaling up a comprehensive early childhood teacher professional development program into 11 communities across 2 years with funding through state legislative actions. The comprehensive program had four major components based on results from a previous multi-condition random assignment…

People do not want to know the history, minutiae of policy, or operations, or even the political intrigues of a virtual consortium. People want to know if the consortium has value, whether it can help them, and if it is a threat. In this article, the author focuses on the operating principles and policies that have proven successful in the…

In November 1996, forty-five higher education technology leaders convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss the virtual university (VU). The Western Governors Association had announced establishment of the Western Governors University (WGU). As a result, VU initiatives were emerging from, or being contemplated by, almost every state-level higher…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from January 19 to 23, 2009. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) HB 1121, a bill that would provide, among other things, a one-time, 2 percent increase in employer contributions to retiree benefits, was heard in the House Government and Veterans Affairs…

Prior to 2003, virtual universities were being created at a rate that would question the usual perception that higher education rarely changed, or changed (if at all) at a glacial speed. No comprehensive study of what was actually being created had been done; nor had anyone tapped the experiences of the developers in the states to see what was…

Anecdotal accounts from teachers have long suggested the possibility that virtual teaching experiences have a positive impact on face-to-face teaching practices, a so-called "reverse impact" phenomenon. Survey and focus group data collected as part of a statewide evaluation of a virtual school offered an opportunity to explore this impact.…

As Internet technology encroached on the public school classroom about a decade ago, Kim Ross, superintendent of the Houston School District in Houston, Minnesota, saw an opportunity. At first, he and his administrative team simply wanted to offer students in the district of 1,300 access to more classes via the web than what a district that size…

This case study reviews the emergence and evolution of eCore (the University System of Georgia's electronically delivered undergraduate core courses) over eight years and summarizes the issues, ongoing challenges, and lessons learned from interinstitutional collaboration in offering and administering a "virtual" shared core. The bulk of…

The state of Kentucky has embarked upon a large scale systems change effort to integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, including use of digital curriculum and computerized reading supports to improve overall student achievement. A major component of this initiative is the use of Read & Write Gold. As higher expectations are…

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is pleased to release its fourth annual National Trends Report on the use of federal funds to support educational technology. This report documents findings from Round 4 (FY 05) of the No Child Left Behind, Title II Part D, Enhancing Education Through Technology (NCLB II D) program.…