WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a new report analyzing 20 years of national education technology policy, researchers at the Center for Children and Technology (CCT) discover a striking consensus in past recommendations for the effective integration of technology in schools and offer advice about recommendations for the next 20 years.

The report, "A Retrospective on Twenty Years of Education Technology Policy," was commissioned by The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology as part of the development of the National Education Technology Plan mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The report, now available online, synthesizes the findings of more than 25 major studies and policy papers, beginning with A Nation at Risk in 1983.

According to the report, educational technologists and researchers have developed a deeper understanding of the complex factors affecting the success of technology integration in schools. The focus has shifted away from an emphasis on "single input" strategies, such as the wiring of schools, to an appreciation of the multiple aspects of the educational system that influence the way technology is used.

CCT researchers found that threaded among twenty years of research and policy work on technology's role in education is a conceptual framework for technology's use in education that offers substantial guidance for striking a balance between the demands of improving practice over time and pressing public concerns such as accountability and equity, between the cycle of change in technology and the cycle of change in schools, between the skills of tomorrow and the skills of today.

"Twenty years ago, the Internet was the stuff of science fiction, but education and government leaders had the foresight to develop a solid foundation on which the future of technology planning would rest," said CCT Director Margaret Honey. "The lessons learned in this report can help to guide future educational technology policy so that we are building on past successes and continually working to improve teaching and learning."

The report is available at Ed.gov on the National Education Technology Plan website: Report available under Leadership Resources

About CCT
The Center for Children and Technology is a center of Education Development Center, an international non-profit organization based in Newton, Massachusetts. For more than two decades, CCT has been investigating how technology can make a difference in children's classrooms, schools and communities. Originally founded at Bank Street College and located in New York, CCT conducts basic, applied and formative research as well as designs and develops multimedia tools and technology prototypes. More information about the organization is available on the web at: www2.edc.org/cct.

About the National Education Technology Plan
The No Child Left Behind Act charges the Secretary of Education with developing the nation's third National Education Technology Plan. The Plan will establish a national strategy supporting the effective use of technology to improve student academic achievement and to prepare students for the 21st century. The revised National Education Technology Plan provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made, identify the areas that need to be further addressed, and consider what transformed learning may look like. More information about the organization is available on the web at: www.NationalEdTechPlan.org.