The NETP is a comprehensive report of President Obama’s vision and goals for education in America. It is very similar to the TLRTP in many ways. It addresses five areas of educational need: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure and Productivity. The primary goal of the plan is to increase the percentage of Americans with two or four year college degrees from 39 percent currently to 60 percent by 2020. It focuses on having all high school students college-ready regardless of race, background, disability or language.
The learning component includes what and how curriculum is used. Flexible schedules and use of distance learning are possible with 24/7 connectivity. Science and math are prioritized in the STEM programming. In the area of teaching, the focus is on the delivery of instruction, building the capacity to shift to a model of connected teaching. Collaboration is the trend. Support for educators through in-service training and continuing education are indicated as a high need to ensure educators are equipped to meet the challenges of rapidly changing technology. Technology –based testing is highlighted for more accurate evaluation and assessment of student learning. Learning must be personalized to best meet the needs of the individual learner, however budgetary constraints must also be considered when planning for technology implementation. Upgrading the infrastructure will take a concerted and coordinated effort among agencies to maximize use of funding available.
I really like the goals set out in this plan. My biggest concern is creating mandates without funding for their full implementation. As with the stimulus money, there are limitations. Sustainability must always be considered. Programs dependent upon grants can become burdensome for districts when that funding runs out. The purchase of equipment and programming should be done in such a way that local districts can continue utilizing them after the grant money has expired.
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