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4 Dec 2014
Spotlight

Future Ready: Are We Preparing Our Students for Success in the 21st Century?

Ensuring America’s students have the skills they need to succeed in a competitive 21st-century global economy requires educational leaders to foster a culture of personalized digital learning in their schools. This can be challenging when fewer than 30 percent of U.S. schools currently have the broadband access students need to learn with today’s technology.

Future Ready

Three kids with an iPad

“Future Ready” concentrates on building the human capacity within schools and districts so they can effectively use increased connectivity and new devices to transform teaching and learning. The White House and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology (OET) initiated the program, building on the momentum of President Obama’s 2013 launch of the ConnectEd initiative.

ConnectED to the Future

As part of the Future Ready initiative, President Obama hosted more than 100 school superintendents at the White House during a November 19, 2014 “ConnectED to the Future” summit.  Superintendents signed the Future Ready District Pledge indicating their commitment to work with educators, families and communities to develop broadband infrastructures; make high-quality digital materials and devices more accessible; and support professional development programs for educators, schools and districts as they transition to digital learning.

Connected Educators Project

AIR is working closely with the Office of Educational Technology to empower educators’ use of technology to transform teaching and learning. The Connected Educators project (2010-2014) has provided educators with opportunities to collaborate through online communities of practice and social networks. “Future Ready” resources AIR has played a role in developing include the following:  

  • Future Ready Schools: Empowering Educators through Professional Learning Toolkit (developed under the Connected Educators project)
  • Designing Online Communities of Practice for Educators to Create Value (report)
  • The Future Ready District: Professional Learning Through Online Communities of Practice (report)
  • Other Professional Learning Resources

Through the Connected Educators 2014 project, AIR is creating an online interface enabling district leaders to assess their districts’ future-readiness. Leaders will also be able to access video examples and resources to initiate positive change, and innovative strategies to enhance leadership and improve learning conditions for all students.

National Educational Technology Plan

AIR is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education to develop the 2015 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP). This effort will build upon the earlier plan to inspire research, development, and innovation in the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

Related Projects

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Project

AIR Convenes the U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educator Month

August is Connected Educator Month, an effort by the U.S. Department of Education to encourage teachers and school administrators across the country to participate in online learning communities and networks to enhance their professional development. AIR is supporting the month-long endeavor by coordinating more than 250 events, including online forums, webinars, blog discussions, online chats, podcasts, and other interactive options that explore online learning issues.

Related Work

1 Oct 2014
Video

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Long Story Short Video image of Tracy Gray

Long Story Short: How Should Schools Use Technology to Engage Students?

Technology has enormous potential to transform the way teachers teach and students learn. In this video interview, Tracy Gray, an AIR expert on education technology, explains how to effectively use technology to engage students in their own learning.
Topic: 
Education, Technology for Teaching and Learning
1 Oct 2013
News Release

Nearly 200 Organizations Participating in Connected Educator Month

October is Connected Educator Month, providing educators with opportunities to participate in online events and activities to enhance their skills and build personal learning networks. The American Institutes for Research (AIR), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology, operates the Connected Educators project, which is coordinating the event.

25 Jun 2012
News Release

U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan Declares August “Connected Educator” Month and Invites Educators to Learn Together Online

AIR is convening August's Connected Educator Month for the Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET). More than 50 organizations – ranging from the American School Counselor Association and Cisco to the National Association of Elementary School Principals and Discovery Education – will participate in the month-long online event, engaging and providing resources to educators across the country.

Further Reading

  • Programs with New Funding in the Proposed Budget: What Does Research Say About Their Effectiveness?
  • White House Releases Comprehensive Education Technology Plan Produced by AIR
  • Promoting Digital Equity and Opportunity in the Time of COVID-19
  • Sweet Music: Making Technology Work in the Classroom
  • Open Letter to Governors—An Education Agenda for 2015 and Beyond
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Marshal Conley

Marshal Conley

Senior TA Consultant

Topic

Education
STEM
Technology for Teaching and Learning

RESEARCH. EVALUATION. APPLICATION. IMPACT.

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