[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 9 (Monday, February 7, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                  INTEL'S TEACH TO THE FUTURE PROGRAM

 Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, I wanted to take a few minutes 
to talk about an exciting new project that was announced recently--
Intel's ``Teach to the Future'' program. Intel has joined forces with 
Microsoft and a number of other companies to train 100,000 of our 
elementary and secondary school teachers in how to use information 
technology to improve what our kids learn. Intel will invest $100 
million in this project and Microsoft will contribute more than $300 
million in software, its largest donation ever. Intel and its partners 
deserve to be strongly commended by the Senate and the Congress for 
their forward thinking efforts.
  The goal of Intel's Teach to the Future Program is to train 100,000 
American teachers in 1,000 days. This year Intel will make grants to 5 
regional training agencies in Northern California, Oregon, Texas, and 
Arizona that will each train 100 Master Teachers in a 40-hour 
curriculum on effectively applying computer technology to improve 
student learning. This award-winning curriculum was developed over the 
last two years by the Institute for Computer Technology; over 80% of 
the teachers who've been trained by it felt that it enhanced their 
student's learning. These 500 Master Teachers will return to their 
school districts, embedding the expertise locally by training an 
additional 20 teachers. By the end of this year, 10,000 teachers will 
be trained. Next year, the program will expand to include my home state 
of New Mexico, along with Washington State, Massachusetts, Utah, 
Southern California, Washington, DC, and elsewhere in order to train 
40,000 teachers. Finally, the program will again expand to train 50,000 
teachers in 2002.
  We have been working hard on the federal, state, and local levels to 
provide schools with computers, software and access to the Internet. I 
authored several programs in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
in 1994 that have gone a long way toward these goals. Studies of the 
existing uses of technology in schools demonstrate, however, that these 
investments have not been optimized because teachers have not been 
adequately trained in its use--particularly its curriculum-based use. 
The availability of hardware is irrelevant if teachers are not properly 
trained, because it's teachers who teach, not technology.
  Only 20% of today's teachers feel really prepared to use technology 
in the classroom. Given the dynamic nature of technology and the influx 
of new teachers we expect to enter the classroom in the next few years, 
it's easy to see how this problem could get worse if we don't focus on 
it. The average school spends less--often significantly less--than 1% 
of its technology funds on training. The Department of Education, the 
CEO Forum and other experts have determined that the appropriate 
investment should be closer to 30%.
  In response to this need, I have worked closely with Senator Murray 
to secure funding for a pre-service technology training program in the 
education budget. As we approach reauthorization of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act, I also have made teacher training the 
centerpiece of my proposal for reauthorization of the Education 
Technology programs in ESEA--``S. 1604: the Technology for Teaching 
Act.'' Even with the continued commitment of companies like Intel, we 
must provide federal support and leadership for technology training for 
all teachers in all fifty states.
  Intel's ``Teach to the Future'' project is an outstanding example of 
good corporate citizenship; one that should be instructive for 
politicians, educators, and corporations across the nation. Intel and 
its corporate partners clearly recognize that--just as information 
technology has revolutionized the workplace and the marketplace--it 
also promises to transform the schoolhouse. Perhaps, more importantly, 
however, these companies recognize that we must transform the 
schoolhouse in order to continue the economic revolution. We in 
Congress must support their efforts by increasing the federal 
commitment to educational technology and teacher training in this 
area.

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