Blog 3: The State Governments Role in Ed Tech Polocies

Although grants and some funding can come from the Federal Government, it is the State Government that hands out the money to the different districts and schools. According to the budget breakdown of school funding for Indiana’s schools, found from http://stateimpact.npr.org/indiana/tag/school-funding-formula/, “Currently, each district receives a minimum amount of $4,280 per enrolled pupil.” Attendance is not the only factor that wages into the amount according to StateImpact Indiana. Districts can get additional funds depending on the number of students who are on free and reduced lunch, students with disabilities, and students who graduate with honors. Also, kindergarteners are not counted as a whole student; instead each kindergartener is counted as half of a student. No wonder my schools growing up made such a big deal about students staying in the school system. It might not have to do with technology but this funding from the State Government is still crucial when it comes to needed money for technology, if the schools cannot be rewarded a grant to cover the costs of the expenses.

Now, what about actually getting technology into the classroom? Like the Federal Government, State Governments’ have technology plans too. Everyone knows that technology is a blossoming phenomenon in today’s classrooms. Most schools have so much technology available to them today then they did just 5 years ago. Each and every year there is something new for teachers to use with their students. “Technology holds great potential for education, but students are not using it to improve their learning because a) they don’t have access to adequate hardware and software and b) their teachers have not been adequately prepared.” (Zhao & Conway, 2001) So even though several people know that technology will enhance student learning, the problem is that not EVERY school in America has the money to pay for the amazing technologies for the students. And if the schools do have access  for the funding, their teachers are uneducated about the technology and either do not use it, or they are not engaging the students. The State is giving districts money, schools can get grants to pay for technology, but in the end, if the teachers do not have the training to incorporate the technology correctly into their instruction, then the technology is pointless and a waste of money. It is great that the State Government, and even the Federal Government, care about the schools getting access to the technology, but realistically not every school is going to be able to afford the technology, AND the Government should focus more on the training the teachers have to do. Let’s start with educating our educators with informational and hands-on professional development workshops, and then move on to funding the technologies!

 Bite-Sized Budget Breakdown: How Are Schools Funded? (n.d.). StateImpact Indiana. Retrieved February 27, 2013, from http://stateimpact.npr.org/indiana/topic/school-funding-formula/

Zhao, Y., & Conway, P. (2001). What’s In, What’s Out-An Analysis of State Educational Technology Plans. The Teachers College Record. Retrieved from http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=10717