Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 5.djvu/148

 108 STAT. 3638 PUBLIC LAW 103-382—OCT. 20, 1994 style, and in which students have increased opportunities to develop higher order thinking and technical skills; "(8) schools need new ways of financing the acquisition and maintenance of educational technology; "(9) the needs for educational technology differ from State to State; "(10) technology can provide students, parents, teachers, other education professionals, communities, and industry with increased opportunities for partnerships and with increased access to information, instruction, and educational services in schools and other settings, including homes, libraries, preschool and child-care facilities, adult and family education programs, and postsecondary institutions; "(11) the Department, consistent with the overall national technology policy established by the President, must assume a vital leadership and coordinating role in developing the national vision and strategy to infuse advanced technology throughout all educational programs; "(12) Federal support can ease the burden at the State and local levels by enabling the acquisition of advanced technology and initiating the development of teacher training and support as well as new educational products; "(13) leadership at the Federal level should consider guidelines to ensure that educational technology is accessible to all users with maximum interoperability nationwide; "(14) the rapidly changing nature of technology requires ~ coordination and flexibility in Federal leadership; and "(15) technology has the potential to assist and support the improvement of teaching and learning in schools and other settings. 20 USC 6812. "SEC. 3112. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. "The purpose of this part is to support a comprehensive system for the acquisition and use by elementary and secondary schools in the United States of technology and technology-enhanced curricula, instruction, and administrative support resources and services to improve the delivery of educational services. Such system shall include— "(1) national leadership with respect to the need for, and the provision of, appropriate technology-enhanced curriculum, instruction, and administrative programs to improve learning in the United States, and to promote equal access for all students to educational opportunities in order to achieve the National Education Goals by the year 2000; "(2) funding mechanisms which will support the development, interconnection, implementation, improvement, and maintenance of an effective educational technology infrastructure, including activities undertaken by State and local educational agencies to promote and provide equipment, training for teachers and school library ana media personnel, and technical support; "(3) support for technical assistance, professional development, information and resource dissemination, in order to help States, local educational agencies, teachers, school library and media personnel, and administrators successfully integrate technology into kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms and library media centers;

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