|
State Policy: K-12 Education
Strengthening Public K-12 Education Strengthening our schools and universities is essential to providing all Americans with the educational opportunities needed to succeed in the Innovation Economy. TechNet strongly supports strengthening state investments in both K-12 and higher education combined with reforms to improve results and accountability, modernize facilities, and boost proficiency in critical areas like math and science. Our member companies invest in many programs to strengthen student achievement in areas like science, technology, engineering and math, and strengthening STEM education has been a major objective for us in states like Massachusetts and California, and nationally, as part of the Obama Administration's Race to the Top competition. TechNet supports providing school districts more flexibility so that districts can invest in the most exciting new technologies, such as digital textbooks and other tools that kids find more engaging and that better prepare students for success in the new economy. In Texas, TechNet led the charge for legislation permitting local school districts to use state textbook funds (roughly $1 billion budget) to also purchase education technology. TechNet has supported similar legislation in states like California, Georgia, New York and Florida, as well as initiatives to foster the deployment of digital textbooks and harness technology to fundamentally transform education.
TechNet has long supported policies to collect and compile "longitudinal data" to allow policy makers, educators and parents to better measure individual student progress and better tailor programs and resources in a manner that maximizes student performance. Good data enables policy makers to make better decisions about how to spend education dollars. Good data helps parents make the best decisions about schools for their kids. Good data helps teachers better understand and meet the needs of their students. And good data should bolster widespread confidence that education dollars are being used wisely, strengthening the consensus necessary for strong, consistent support of public education. Only 70% of U.S. student graduate from high school and many surveys show U.S. students badly trailing their peers in other countries in disciplines like math and science. TechNet believes it is vital to bolster student proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math and ensure that disadvantaged students have the opportunity to participate and succeed in the Innovation Economy. TechNet
|