As expected, President Bush’s proposed budget eliminates the Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) - NCLB Title II, Part D program in his 2008 budget. Notably, it is the largest program being slated for elimination and the only program dedicated specifically to education technology for our schools. Here's the list of programs slated for reduction or elimination in the 2008 budget.
As in the past, Congress now has the opportunity to develop its own budget in response to the President’s proposed version. We cannot be idle and we MUST SHARE how education technology (EETT funding specifically) is increasing student achievement, improving teacher quality, and ensuring America’s Competitiveness. Please make sure to:
Remind and share your EETT successes with your state’s contacts on Capitol Hill and reach out to new members of Congress (they are eager to learn about education) Ask your Congressional Leaders to mention to include EETT as a program that should not be eliminated as we set goals to improve our nation’s competitiveness.
Send a note to your ed-tech champions asking them to reach out to Congressional Leaders by personalizing the message below.
Dear Congressman XXX:
I want to thank you for your support of education in the past, and I welcome your support in the upcoming congressional session. Specifically, I would like to call your attention to the elimination of the Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) program in President Bush’s 2008 Proposed Budget.
The EETT funds are critical to the success of our students and the improvement of our teachers in XXX. We use the EETT funding to:
PLACE YOUR SUCCESS STORY HERE
If the EETT funding is eliminated, our schools will be limited in addressing the needs of the media and technology savvy students of today. I urge you to do whatever possible to maintain a dedicated funding stream that explores how technology can modernize schools and successfully engage the 21st Century student. The federal investment serves as a catalyst for change in states. The EETT program is an incubator of ideas - It provides states with targeted resources to assess where technology can be infused into the learning process to dramatically increase the effectiveness of teachers as well as improve student achievement. We need to learn from these examples and replicate the successful models nationally.
Send a similar note to corporate partners that you work with asking them to reach out to Federal Congressional Leaders in support of EETT as well.