A r c h i v e d    I n f o r m a t i o n

Executive Summary

The First-Year Implementation of the Technology
Literacy Challenge Fund in Five States

In February 1996, President Clinton announced the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLCF). Authorized in Title III, Part A, Subpart 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Improving America's School Act (IASA) of 1994, the TLCF is the U.S. Department of Education's single largest investment dedicated specifically to increasing the effective use of technology in elementary and secondary education, particularly for those communities with high levels of poverty or with the greatest need for technology. In 1997, the first year of operation of the TLCF, this formula grant program provided $200 million to all States, territories, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Resources provided by the program are intended to serve as a catalyst to encourage States and a number of other parties-local communities, companies, universities, and others-to work together toward fully integrating technology into their curriculum and improving teaching and learning.

In December 1996, the U.S. Department of Education contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct a formative evaluation of the first-year implementation of the TLCF. Funded before States even submitted their applications to receive TLCF support, the evaluation was designed to provide the U.S. Department of Education, Congress, and State education agency technology coordinators with information about the program's implementation and potential outcomes. This report summarizes one component of the evaluation: case studies of the experiences of five States as they implemented the TLCF. During intensive visits to States at two points in time, the spring and summer of 1997 and the fall and winter of 1997-98, AIR staff interviewed a host of individuals involved in implementing the TLCF in their States and schools, reviewed State technology plans, as well as those of local school districts, and observed teachers and students using technology. The five States selected-Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Texas, and Washington-varied in their location, size, minority population, poverty levels, and approaches to infusing technology into K-12 education. These States are not representative of all 50 States and the findings do not necessarily generalize to other States.

This report presents key observations about three broad research questions:

• What were the experiences of States and districts in implementing the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund?

• How were States and districts using the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund?

• How did Technology Literacy Challenge Fund activities relate to other technology and reform efforts?

In addition, this report highlights a number of issues that could influence the impact of the program in the future.

With regard to the experiences of States and districts in implementing the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund:

• While States and districts appreciated receiving TLCF funds quickly, districts would have liked more time to plan for the use of funds and to implement their plans.

• Competition within States sometimes put districts with fewer resources, less experience in writing grants, and less experience in planning for technology use at a disadvantage.

• The determination of district need for TLCF funds was inconsistent across States, making it difficult to determine whether the recipients of sub-grants were the most needy applicants.

• Leadership at the State, district, and school levels was critical to the implementation and operation of the TLCF.

Importantly, States and districts were using TLCF resources in a variety of ways:

• The TLCF was being used to support teaching and learning in a variety of different ways.

• The TLCF was being tailored to specific groups of students within districts.

• The TLCF was supporting a broad range of professional development efforts.

• The TLCF was being used to purchase a wide range of hardware and software.

With regard to the relation of TLCF-supported activities to other technology and reform efforts:

• The TLCF appeared to function best when implemented in the context of other technology programs.

• Other non-technology programs can also support technology needs.

• The TLCF is best understood within the context of State and districtwide reform efforts.

In addition, the five case studies provided an opportunity to identify the conditions that seem likely to influence the eventual success or failure of the TLCF program. These include:

• The TLCF's success or failure will depend on not spreading funds too thin.

• Identifying districts with the greatest need provided a challenge to States in implementing the TLCF.

• Sustaining technology's use in schools and classrooms will be one test of the TLCF's success.

• Leadership at the State, district, and school levels is critical to the operation and sustainability of technology initiatives.

• The flexibility of the TLCF requires careful monitoring on the part of the Federal government.

In this context, the Federal government will have to adopt creative approaches to communicating the intent of the TLCF, while at the same time, adapting to local circumstances. Monitoring a program as flexible as the TLCF is indeed a challenge, but one that could serve as a model for many other Federal programs as well.

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