[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 8 (Thursday, February 3, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S336]]
                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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         STRENGTHENING EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY THROUGH PARTNERSHIP

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, the federal investment in the 
area of education technology has been and continues to be critical in 
ensuring that schools in all of our states not only have technological 
capacity but are able to effectively integrate technology into the 
curriculum for the benefit of all children. The federal government has 
shown extraordinary leadership in this area through the funding it 
provides through the E-rate, the Technology Innovations Challenge Grant 
and Literacy Challenge Fund programs, to name a few. Still, making 
technology integral to and effective in the learning process is not 
something that can be done by the federal government alone. To be 
successful, it will require creating strong and committed partnerships 
of schools, teachers, institutions of higher education, local and state 
governments and of course the business community.
  There are many businesses that are leading by doing--creating 
partnerships for the educational benefit of kids. They are investing 
time and resources in our nation's schools to help make technology a 
positive and powerful educational tool. Intel is one such company.
  The Intel Teach to the Future program brings together expertise and 
resources from leading high-tech companies to improve technology use in 
the classroom. This comprehensive teacher development initiative has 
been designed to address the barriers teachers face in effectively 
applying computer technology to enhance student learning. In spite of 
the potential for technology to improve education, only 20% of today's 
3.17 million teachers feel prepared to use technology in the classroom. 
Barriers to success include: lack of access to adequate equipment; lack 
of training on specific software tools; lack of training on tools to 
evaluate how, when and where technology should be applied to teach 
specific subject matter; and finally, lack of an evaluative process 
that measures success and provides for continuous improvement. Intel 
has learned from its own and others' experiences and partnered with 
leaders in the computer industry to deliver a program that can tackle 
these barriers head-on.
  The Teach to the Future program provides a flexible, modular 
curriculum delivered by teachers for teachers. The training 
incorporates the use of the Internet, web page design and multimedia 
software. Every participant is guaranteed access in their classrooms to 
the hardware and software necessary to put their training into 
practice. The training of a cadre of local master teachers ensures the 
knowledge and expertise remains within the school district and provides 
for ongoing support.
  Key elements of the Teach to the Future program include hands-on, 
face-to-face learning. The curriculum is based on the award-winning 
Intel ACE Project, authored by the Institute for Computer Technology. 
It has been delivered to some 3,200 teachers in nine communities over 
the last two years in cooperation with Microsoft Corporation and 
Hewlett-Packard Company. Responses from Intel ACE participants show 
that 98% of the participants found the training to be valuable; 97% 
developed new skills and knowledge and 94% felt the training would 
benefit their students. A follow-up study with teachers who 
participated in the training in 1998 found that more than 84% felt the 
use of computers had improved their instruction and more than 80% felt 
their students' learning was enhanced. I heard a great deal about the 
program that Intel sponsored in Washington, DC and was excited to learn 
of what a positive impact it had on students and teachers there.
  Intel will develop online communities via its web site to support the 
Regional Training Agencies, Master Teacher and teacher participants. 
Some of the areas will facilitate administration of the program itself 
such as registration and evaluation; other services include case 
studies, a lesson plan database, and chat capability.
  In its first three years the program will reach 100,000 teachers in 
the United States. Giving teachers the tools, know-how and confidence 
to apply technology effectively in the classroom will have a big payoff 
in improving educational opportunities for our nation's young people. I 
applaud Intel and its partners as well as all the other businesses for 
their commitment to education in the 21st century.

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