Deputy Secretary of Education Jim Shelton will discuss the importance of technology in education reform at the second annual Education Innovation Summit on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Washington, D.C. He also will address the important role that technology plays in bridging the education gap, especially among students of color and children attending schools in rural areas. A question-and-answer session will follow. The summit, organized by the CityBridge Foundation, will bring together D.C. educators who are interested in blended learning, which combines classroom learning with online learning.
The Administration is committed to access and equity in education technology. The goal of President Obama's initiative ConnectED is to connect 99 percent of America's students to the Internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within five years. With millions of students lacking high-speed broadband access and fewer than 20 percent of educators saying their schools' Internet connections meet their teaching needs, ConnectED is bringing high-speed Internet within reach, with a particular benefit for rural communities that have lagged behind in connectivity. ConnectED plays an important role in preparing America's students to compete for jobs in the global economy.