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Advocacy

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Advocacy Platform Background & History:

The CUE Advocacy Platform provides a set of statements that represent the positions and priorities taken by CUE related to educational technology in California. The Platform is to be used by CUE representatives in situations where the values and priorities of the organization should be expressed. The first CUE Platform was developed in 1985 to help define the intent and purpose of California legislation that would establish programs and related funding for statewide, regional, and local educational technology programs and projects. Since that time the Platform has been used to inform educators and policy makers in their development of state and federal legislation, state educational technology plans, initiatives, and programs. Locally, the Platform has been adapted by school districts and other entities in their development of educational technology policies and plans. The CUE Advocacy Committee periodically revises the Platform as needed and the CUE Board then reviews and approves the revised Platform. There are many examples over the past 20 years of how the Platform has had an influence in California and National educational technology policy development and legislation. Following is the CUE Advocacy Platform revised and then adopted by the CUE Board of Directors in March 2010. Download a PDF or Word version.


Advocacy Platform
adopted by the CUE Board of Directors on March 8, 2010

 

Computer-Using Educators, (CUE) Inc. recognizes that California schools serve students of increasingly diverse needs and backgrounds who must be ready to succeed in a rapidly advancing technological society. CUE believes that technology is a critical instructional resource required for all K20 teachers, administrators, and students. CUE works with many like-minded groups in coordinating policies and practices to advance student achievement. The CUE Advocacy Platform was developed by the CUE Advocacy Committee with input from CUE membership and is periodically updated to provide guidance for the development and modification of current and emerging state and federal educational policies and programs affecting California educators.

1. CDE Funding Support and Expansion
CUE supports maintenance of funding of the regional California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) and Statewide Educational Technology Services (SETS) as a separate line item in the California education budget. External evaluation has clearly and consistently documented CTAP and SETS constitute a cost-effective strategy for supporting the educational technology needs in our geographically diverse state. CUE also supports increasing funding and expansion of CTAP and SETS.

 

2. Federal Education Initiatives
CUE supports the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant program or similar type of program as separate from but closely coordinated with other Federal programs such as Title I and E-Rate. CUE supports federal educational initiatives implemented in California that align with the CUE Advocacy Platform. Federal programs such as E-Rate and Title I also have significant financial impact on technology planning in California schools.

 

3. A Statewide Educational Technology Plan
CUE supports the development of an annually updated statewide California K12 educational technology plan that reflects the needs of all educators and students with diverse backgrounds and in all areas of the state. The plan should be aligned with the National Education Technology Plan and must represent education stakeholders including students, teachers, site, district, and county office of education administrators, technology specialists, curriculum specialists, and persons and agencies that deliver professional development and assistance such as the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP), including the State Education Technology Services (SETS).

 

4. Online Learning
CUE advocates for policy changes and increased flexibility in the allocation of Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding to encourage and facilitate online learning programs throughout California K12 schools. Further, CUE supports the adoption of an online learning requirement for all graduating seniors in California.

 

5. Fully Funded Professional Development
CUE advocates professional development on the 1) basic use, 2), application use of electronic instructional resources and tools, 3) selection, development, and delivery of online courses and lessons, and 4) the overall integration of technology into instruction. Training must be fully funded and sustained over multiple years.  Substantial funding levels of the total technology plan should be used for ongoing professional development. Professional development includes administration (vision, planning and management of the technology resource) and instruction (integrating the technology resource into the classroom curriculum standards).

 

6. Continuous Funding for Technical Support
CUE advocates sufficient continuous funding for hardware, software and infrastructure technical support for educational technology. As additional technology continues to enter our schools (adding to an already large installed base), supporting and maintaining these installations have become major financial and personnel issues. Ongoing technical support beyond basic troubleshooting is not a classroom teacher responsibility.

 

7. Continuous Funding for Technology
CUE advocates sufficient continuous funding must be provided to ensure that all California students have equitable and sustained access to technology at a level at least comparable to national averages. California has long treated technology acquisition as a grant or one time basis procurement. Planned continuous funding of technology for acquisition, upgrading and planned replacement of network infrastructure on a regular basis is recommended.

8. Research-based technology applications and services
CUE advocates for the use of electronic learning resources instructional practices that utilize technology that have been evaluated and/or researched to document their effectiveness in improving teaching and learning. Additionally CUE supports the continuous assessment and reporting to education stakeholders about the impact and cost-benefits of educational technology support services at the local, regional, and state levels.

9. Digital Content
CUE believes that it is in the best interests of educational agencies and students in California to have access to State-adopted curricular and supplemental content in digital form that is available though a variety of media and includes content delivered over the Internet. CUE supports access to digital materials, reducing the cost of adoptions in California, as well as assisting in reducing the negative physical impacts that carrying large numbers of heavy textbooks have on our youth, and expand curricular access to special needs populations. CUE also believes that the State should provide sufficient funding for CTAP's California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) to continue reviewing for alignment to the California Content Standards and posting information to CLRN website, information to help educators select: 1) "digital textbooks," 2) electronic learning resources, 3) web information links, 4) electronic learning assessment resources, and 5) online learning (E-learning) resources.

10. Administrative Uses of Technology
 CUE advocates that all administrators should be instructional leaders in the use of technology. We believe that the use of technology tools to facilitate data-driven decision-making (i.e. selecting those resources that will aid measurable skill acquisition and increase student achievement) is a necessity. CUE also advocates that the CDE support the Regional CTAP service providers as they enable administrators in the selection and use of technology to support data decision-making and management. Further, we advocate that CDE support CTAP with sufficient funding to continue to make available a suite of analysis tool and electronic learning assessment resources (ELARs) to all schools in California so that all sites have ready access to this important data.

11. Curriculum Support
 CUE advocates working with the California Curriculum Commission, CTAP's California Learning Resource Network (CLRN), and publishers of digital content to ensure that technology is aligned with the California Content Standards as appropriate. CUE advocates for the adoption of the California Library Model Content Standards: 21st Century Information Literacy.

12. Inclusion of Technology in Single School Plan for Student Achievement
CUE supports maintaining the 8th grade student technology proficiency standards In K12 schools, CUE supports the integration of educational technology into the Single School Plan for Student Achievement. CUE advocates a single plan as a part of all school, district, college and university regular planning. The plan should cover all grade levels, curriculum strands and funding initiatives over multiple years as required by state and federal statute.

13. Career-Long Professional Development Planning
CUE believes that technology integration training in concert with professional development must be a comprehensive plan, beginning with integration into teacher pre-service education throughout California college and university systems. In-service training must continue through the districts and counties, and into individual schools and classrooms. Formal credential and certificate programs for technology integration should be developed.

14. Support of Underserved Areas
CUE fully supports the creation and maintenance of equitable access to technology and technology applications for all students, teachers, and administrators in California, including those in rural and other underserved areas. It is the position of CUE that access to technology and technology applications should be the same for all learners in our state, regardless of geographic location or economic status. Equity of quality and service must be maintained.

15. Integrated Network and K12 High Speed Network
 CUE advocates the development of robust district- and school-wide integrated high-speed networks. Such networks must be user friendly, cost effective, and facilitate the exchange of applications and information, including administrative, instructional and distance learning services to the classroom.
Advocacy Resources

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