Goal/Purposes: To improve student academic achievement through the use of technology in elementary and secondary schools; to assist every student – regardless of race, ethnicity, income, geographical location, or disability – in becoming technologically literate by the end of eighth grade; and to encourage the effective integration of technology resources and systems with professional development and curriculum development to promote research-based instructional methods that can be widely replicated.

The Ed Tech program funds are to:

• Assist states and localities in implementing and supporting a system that effectively uses technology to improve student academic achievement.
• Encourage the establishment or expansion of initiatives that are designed to increase access to technology.
• Assist states and localities in the acquisition, development, interconnection, implementation, improvement, and maintenance of an effective educational technology infrastructure in a manner that expands access to technology to students and teachers.
• Support initiatives that enable school personnel and administrators to integrate technology effectively into curriculum and instruction that are aligned with State standards, through such means as high-quality professional development.
• Enhance ongoing professional development for teachers, principals, and administrators by providing constant access to training and updated research in teaching and learning through electronic means.
• Support the development and use of electronic networks and other innovative methods, such as distance learning, to provide specialized or rigorous courses or curricula to students who would not otherwise have access to such information, particularly those in geographically isolated regions.
• Support local efforts to use technology to promote parent and family involvement in education and to enhance communication among students, parents, and school personnel.
• Support the rigorous evaluation of programs funded under the Ed Tech Act, particularly regarding the impact of these programs on student academic achievement, and ensure that the results are widely accessible through electronic means.