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 * Wednesday, November 4 at 4:00 pm ET

Listening and Learning: A Conversation with the Assistant Secretary
Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

The purpose of the November 4, 4 p.m. session is for the Assistant Secretary: (1) to provide opportunity for the State Educational Technology Directors (grantees) to be addressed by our (OESE) new Assistant Secretary. (2) to listen to feedback from the ESEA stakeholder meeting in LBJ. (3) to use the session as a "Listening and Learning" opportunity to hear the perspectives and advice from these program representatives of State Education Agencies (SEAs) to inform ESEA reauthorization and to suggest ways to integrate educational technology to support the four K-12 Reform Priorities.

In order to prepare for our discussion with Assistant Secretary, Thelma Melendez de Santa Anna, we want everyone to be thinking about examples to share with the Assistant Secretary in how technology supports the following priorities of this administration: · Adopt common college- and career-ready internationally benchmarked standards and assessments. · Recruit, develop, support, and retain effective teachers and school leaders. · Turnaround struggling (lowest performing) schools. · Develop robust, integrated, longitudinal data systems that will enable data-driven decision making P-20. · Initiate/accelerate innovations now; create an environment that promotes ongoing innovation. · Ensure coordinated evaluation, research, and knowledge management aligned with reform.

Undergirding these priorities/assurances is the need to build capacity and overcome systemic barriers at the SEA and LEA levels. There is some recognition of the structural, human capitol, political, and financial realities that constrain state and local efforts at reform.

In addition, we have been asked to think about our experience with both formula and competitive grants and if one format has been more successful in increasing academic achievement and improving the learning environments. How would you assess the benefits and risks associated with Federal formula vs. discretionary grant funding to promote education reform that will prepare our students to compete in a 21st Century global economy?

It’s not a conversation about technology, but rather a conversation of how technology supports the priorities!

//-Jayne Moore (MD), Kate Kemker (FL), Kathy Barnhart (IL) and Carla Wade (OR)// ||