Human history has been marked by technological advances. The greatest advances have been vital for progress in education. In the last six thousand years of recorded history there have been technological milestones: we have benefited from the invention of writing, clay tablets and papyrus, the abacus, the printing press, chalkboards, television, calculators, projectors, and computers.

Yet, throughout these revolutionary technological advances in education there has been one constant—the teacher. The characteristics of a good teacher were established in the first classrooms in Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The teacher had to be knowledgeable, empathetic, compassionate, patient, insightful, caring, motivational, and inspirational. The early teachers were felt to possess the wisdom of the gods and to possess magical powers. They were counselors, community leaders, judges, negotiators, and visionaries. One poet said that teachers open up the worlds of "history and mystery." And six thousand years from now, someone, somewhere will be describing teachers with the same words. These traits have made teaching the most honorable and respected profession throughout history.

Today, we entered this room as two groups: one from the Teacher's Workshop and another from the No Child Left Behind Leadership Summit on Technology. But our discussion inevitably brings us together because our two fields are so interconnected. We teachers love to talk to each other, to parents, to government officials, to legislators, policy-makers, anyone who will listen. Technology is just a tool. It is how we apply knowledge in a particular area that matters.

We have a passionate commitment to teaching. Like our ancient predecessors, we see teaching as a service, a way of life, a vocation, and a profound opportunity. And because of that commitment, we study our methods, evaluate our expectations, test our students, explore their progress, and guide them forward to new levels of growth and study.

The future is upon us. This afternoon, I want to discuss how we can generate a productive partnership to help you as educators.

This partnership depends on a process of dialogue and two-way feedback. That is why we are implementing our Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative. The initiative includes:

• Numerous roundtables around the country to share information and advance the profession;
• Seven Summer Workshops for successful teachers to share experiences with fellow teachers;
• A Research-to-Practice Summit, which will be held this summer in Washington, to share scientifically based research about effective teaching; and
• Teacher E-mail Updates to keep teachers informed of the latest policies, research, and developments in the profession.

The roundtables have already been completed and resulted in the establishment of the seven workshops, of which this is the fourth. All the previous three have been very successful. We have heard much from teachers and learned a great deal.

Such dialogue has been very helpful as we implement the No Child Left Behind Act. It provides new resources for educators. Every child will receive a quality education, and that includes an education using technology. The law requires that every student be technology literate by the time they finish the eighth grade.

The law's success will depend on a number of factors, including harnessing technology to help better educate our students. Success requires crafting a powerful partnership between government, educators, parents, clergy, non-profits, philanthropic foundations, the communications industry, and the high-tech community. All of us have a role to play. Together, we can transform American education, making it the best in the world for all of our students.

Gathering and using information is an important part of our work together. Last September, the president announced an unprecedented partnership to provide parents, teachers, and policy-makers with needed information to make education more successful. This School Information Partnership is a joint effort between the Department of Education, the Broad Foundation, Standard and Poor's School Evaluation Services, and the National Center for Educational Accountability. We've created a unique Web site—www.SchoolResults.org—to display relevant and comparable school, school district, and statewide data from all 50 states. All the important information is there, in one spot. I am pleased that 26 states are now online, with six more to follow this week. One of those coming online is California, one of the largest and most diverse school systems in our country. The remaining states will be added soon. As you can imagine, this has been a massive undertaking. But the results will provide a clearinghouse for American education.

New technology provides another opportunity for improvement through distance learning. This tool gives teachers an opportunity for professional dialogue and training. I know that many universities have made a huge commitment to e-learning: University of Texas, University of Southern California, Old Dominion University, and hundreds of others. There are even mega-efforts involving more than one university, such as Western Governors University and the Southern Regional Electronic Campus. I know that Stanford, Harvard, and Oxford have joined together to offer online courses for alumni. We are witnessing the birth of virtual universities that can expand or contract their efforts without need of new buildings, or even a campus.

For teachers, e-learning offers new options to take master's—level courses and content courses. There are online opportunities for professional development and for collaboration and communication with other teachers online. Already there are online communities of interest distinguished by content area, by subject, and by grade level. There are virtual villages of teachers, connected worldwide. You may know about "Tapped In" and "TeachScape," two efforts to share information about best practices. Such dialogue is invaluable, strengthening participants and providing a collegiality that is a hallmark of outstanding education.

For students, e-learning opens up the world. It gives them access to education, anytime, anywhere. It makes the world their campus.

Let me give you an example. Recently, I participated in a class in the District of Columbia that was linked to students in South Africa, Egypt, and Mexico. The students learned about geography, culture, and history firsthand through video conferencing. Virtual schools offer options for engaging students and expanding course offerings. I have long been an advocate for virtual learning and even created the first virtual middle school during my tenure as superintendent in Houston.

Taking online courses is a great option for many gifted students. But people don't realize the range of students who are interested in new options with e-learning, such as:

• Homebound students who have difficulty traveling;
• Students from low-income families who must work and need flexible schedules;
• Students with unique curricular interests; and
• Older students who want to finish a degree.

The need is apparent. The market is there. That is why there is tremendous growth in e-learning courses, programs, and virtual schools across the country.

With these possibilities in mind, I have outlined some technological priorities for the Department of Education.

One is to improve student data management systems. We are working with states to gather data that will empower parents and provide accountability within the education system.

The second is to improve online assessments. We are looking into the possibility of online testing of students. This will allow for quick assessment of their needs, a rapid response, and personalizing instruction.

The third is to enhance online learning opportunities. We will be assessing the quality of different approaches. We will also work to integrate e-learning opportunities into every school for students and teachers, including online professional development.

No Child Left Behind creates further opportunities. Under the law, one effort is the "Enhancing Education Through Technology" program. It has provided $2.1 billion to states over the last three years to improve student achievement and training and professional development. President Bush has requested nearly $700 million more for this program in his 2005 budget. In addition, there are 28 different projects examining the effectiveness of educational technology, including e-learning, with $54 million in research funding.

And I am pleased that we have developed the "Partnership for 21st Century Skills" program, a public-private partnership to help develop technological literacy. The partnership has brought together educators, administrators, parents, business and community leaders, and others to build a consensus on the definition of 21st century skills.

We are also seeing some important publications from the Partnership. It created a practical guide about the skills necessary for a student's success in the 21st century. In June, the Partnership released a report to help teachers implement the eighth-grade technology literacy requirement in No Child Left Behind.

We must do all of this, and more. This country has the potential to unite all students and teachers in a vast, powerful technological network. We can make exponential gains in education with your help, quickly closing the achievement gap through our efforts.

Every teacher faces this daunting task: how to help students learn. And we know the importance of our work. As Henry Brook Adams once said, "A teacher affects eternity; he (or she) can never tell where ... influence stops."

Technology provides new opportunities for "affecting eternity." It can be used for learning, for engaging students, and for connecting communities of teachers.

Using these tools requires imagination and vision. But they are only tools. Technology only complements the teacher's instruction, which remains the greatest asset available for students. The teacher is the person who will lead the learning process and provide a continuity of message and content. The teacher will instruct, by lecture and by example.

A good education must instill knowledge and cultivate humanity. Technology can be a remarkable asset in sharing information and expanding intellectual horizons. But our humanity will be learned from teachers and mentors, working with parents and others in the community.

As we work to make education more effective and more human, this nation needs your help, your wisdom, your experience, your abilities, and your humanity. Together, we can make education more inclusive, effective, and profound for every child—every single one.

Again, thank you for coming. Best wishes to all of you during the coming school year.

• Letter Inviting Teachers at Teacher-to-Teacher Workshops to Help the Department Improve the Gateway to Educational Materials PDF (108K)

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