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Quick Key to Technology Integration (2002)
This brochure highlights the significant technology elements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Title II, Part D, of NCLB emphasizes the improvement of student achievement with the use of technology in elementary and secondary schools through technology integration initiatives, access, accessibility, and parental involvement. It provides sample technology literacy standards, answers to questions about statewide implementation of NCLB-related programs, and resources in alignment with NCLB.

Preparing Technology-Competent Teachers for Urban and Rural Classrooms (2002; Case Studies within)
This report, by Kathleen Fulton of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, Dr. Allen Glenn of the University of Washington, Dr. Gilbert Valdez of NCREL, and Dr. Robert Blomeyer of NCREL, is the third in a series of NCREL papers that investigate how teacher education programs are preparing tomorrow's teachers to infuse technology into the learning experiences of America's students. This study examines six teacher education preparation institutions set in urban or rural settings and reviews how they are organizing to prepare new teachers for working in urban and rural environments. Also, it investigates how technology is used as a tool for improvement within the programs, as well as how the recent implementation of teacher education standards has impacted the success of these programs in preparing potential teachers to work in the field. (Audience: higher-education teachers, higher-education administrators, education policymakers, education researchers)

enGauge^® Framework and Online Assessment (2001, ongoing)
EnGauge is a Web-based framework that helps schools and districts plan and evaluate the systemwide use of educational technology. Developed by NCREL with the Metiri Group, enGauge provides a comprehensive view of critical factors that strongly influence the effectiveness of educational technology. It provides online assessments to help schools and districts gauge their progress with learning technology and develop an informed plan of action. It also presents information on the effective uses of technology to advance student learning and the educational system conditions required to use technology effectively. (Audience: K-12 administrators, technology coordinators, education policymakers, K-12 teachers, education researchers)

E-Learning Knowledge Base (2002)
E-Learning, or online-equivalent courses, are one of the most significant new applications of learning technology to emerge in the last 10 years. A growing body of research, theory, program evaluation, and policy analysis is documenting the rapid introduction of e-learning in postsecondary institutions in the United States and around the world. The E-Learning Knowledge Base includes a review and synthesis of current literature in e-learning and an online annotated bibliography available as a searchable database that covers the best online resources on the Internet. The database is updated periodically as new resources become available, so make sure to return often to keep up with the latest developments in this area. (Audience: education policymakers, K-12 teachers, education researchers, K-12 administrators)

Policy Issues No. 15: Making Educational Technology Work: State Policies in the North Central Region (2004) (Adobe^® Reader^® PDF 944 KB)
This edition of Policy Issues discusses how state policies can enhance educational technology use to improve student learning and standards-based reform. It highlights the findings of a study that analyzed state educational technology policies in the North Central region. Discussion includes policy recommendations, examples of best practices, and a policy implementation rubric.

Policy Issues No. 11: Virtual Schools and E-Learning in K-12 Environments: Emerging Policy and Practice (April 2002)
Recent growth in national attention directed toward online courses and virtual schools underscores the importance of e-learning policy and online learning practices. In response to these needs, this edition of Policy Issues aims to:

• Summarize the critical e-learning issues related to education policy.
• Provide an overview of what works, based on recent research and program assessment.
• Offer policy recommendations to support decision makers and policy leaders charged with the investigation and deployment of online courses and Internet-based learning environments in K-12 schools and school districts.

Pathways Critical Issue: Technology Leadership: Enhancing Positive Educational Change (2004)
This Critical Issue discusses the impact of research and best practices on technology leadership and educational productivity. It focuses on leadership qualities of superintendents and principals, responses to change, and effective uses of technology as major themes associated with technology leadership.

Pathways Critical Issue: Promoting Technology Use in Schools (2001)
This Critical Issue provides practical advice for using technology effectively in schools. It focuses on placing computers in equitable areas, providing technical support, determining effective goals for technology use, accepting new roles for teachers in the classroom, providing time for professional development, coaching teachers at different sill levels, offering incentives for technology use, choosing software, and obtaining funding.

Supplemental Resources

Policy Issues No 4: Sustaining Educational Technology: Funding Challenges and Opportunities for Policymakers (2000)
Financial support for implementing technology in our public schools has come from a wide spectrum of sources. How much we are spending, where the funds come from, and our ability to sustain funding ultimately determine the degree to which students will be participants in an increasingly technology-driven society. This edition of Policy Issues highlights the pros and cons associated with financing technology through typical and uncommon means, drawing attention to initiatives where policymakers might take an active role. The following are included in this issue:

• Examples of how states and districts have maximized savings and funded educational technology.
• The benefits and pitfalls in designing flexible budgets to support technology infrastructures via comprehensive school improvement initiatives.
• The increasing need for budgeted, ongoing staff development for teachers and administrators, integrating technology into their curricula.

School Board Members' Technology Priorities and Preferred Ways of Learning About Them: Results of a National Survey (2000)
The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA) conducted a national telephone survey of school board members to understand better their perspective on district educational technology policy. The survey addressed two general questions about school boards and district educational technology policy:

1. What do school board members think of educational technology in their districts? What are their views on its importance in relation to the district's improvement efforts, and what do they think are their district's specific educational technology priorities?

2. What are school board members' preferences for learning what they need to know about educational technology to make good policy decisions?

This is a report of the survey's major findings. The first section discusses method; the second presents findings; the third draws conclusions.

Children Learning With Technology Beyond the School Bell and Building: What Do We Know Now? (2001)
Before- and after-school programs, summer school, community technology centers, and public libraries are increasing children's opportunities to learn outside the regular school day, school year, and school building. Through an extensive review of print and online sources, researchers found that these programs also are increasing children's opportunities to learn with—and about—technology. Although relevant research and evaluation are increasing, there is still much to understand about children learning with technology beyond the bell and about the educational differences created by such learning.

Children's Access to Computers and the Internet Through 21st Century Learning Centers: Preliminary Findings from a National Telephone Survey of Center Directors (2001)
NCREL conducted a national telephone survey of 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) directors in November 2001 and asked them about children's opportunities to learn with and about technology in their centers. This preliminary report answers the question "What is the technology infrastructure (computers and Internet connectivity) in 21st CCLCs?" Findings suggest that almost all centers provide students with access to computers, and nearly as many provide students with Internet access through a direct, rather than dial-up, connection. Most important, this technology infrastructure profile is similar among centers across regions of the country, between centers in urban and rural communities, and among centers by the grade levels of their students.

Can't find the research or resource you're looking for? Locate the content previously listed on these pages by searching the Learning Point Associates and all affilitated sites including NCREL, NCRTEC, NCEMSC, and Porter Center. Search is at the top of this page.