National Educational Technology Plan Unveiled

The Education Department's Office of Educational Technology today released a draft of the 2010 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) called Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. At the Association of American Publishers Annual Meeting, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said there's not a moment to waste in our drive to reform an American education system that, today, often fails to meet expectations.

"You know the data," he said. "The nation's dropout rate is too high. We lose 1.2 million students each year to the streets. Our students aren't keeping up on international tests. We have an unacceptably large achievement gap."

Only about 40 percent of students earn a two-year or four-year college degree, he said, adding that enrollment rates are unequal: 61 percent of qualified white high school graduates enter 4-year colleges, compared to roughly 44 percent of comparable Latino students, and some 29 percent of African American students.

"We must move decisively to address this crisis," Duncan said, "and we are; but the President has asked that we do more. By 2020, the United States once again will lead the world in college completion."

The 114-page NETP begins by stating that education is key to our nation's economic growth and prosperity — and our ability to compete in the global economy —  and outlines two clear goals the U.S. should strive for by 2020. According to the plan, our nation should:

• raise the proportion of college graduates from where it now stands [39 percent] so that 60 percent of our population holds a 2-year or 4-year degree; and
• close the achievement gap so that all students — regardless of race, income or neighborhood — graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.

The NETP acknowledges that these are aggressive goals, and that achieving them is a significant challenge — especially with the current and likely ongoing fiscal crisis. For this reason, "...we must embrace innovation, prompt implementation, regular evaluation, and continuous improvement," according to the plan. "The programs and projects that work must be brought to scale so every school has the opportunity to take advantage of that success. Our regulations, policies, actions and investments must be strategic and coherent."

To achieve these goals, the NETP calls for "revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering" and urges all levels of our education system to:

• Be clear about the outcomes we seek.
• Collaborate to redesign structures and processes for effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility.
• Continually monitor and measure our performance.
• Hold ourselves accountable for progress and results every step of the way.

"The urgency has never been greater," Duncan said. "Our children and our future are at risk, so let us together do the difficult but necessary things our schools demand. We have a moral and economic imperative that requires us to act."