E-Testimony presented to the Congressional Web-based Education Commission, September 18, 2000

Background

TECH CORPS â is a national non-profit (501c3) dedicated to improving K-12 education at the grassroots through the effective integration of technology into the learning environment. The organization is built on the concept of a public-private partnership, combining corporate support with community volunteers.

Established in 1995, TECH CORPS has built an ever-growing nationwide network of technology volunteers who help K-12 schools. Across the country, thousands of TECH CORPS volunteers conduct teacher training seminars, mentor students and staff, repair and install computers, participate on technology planning teams, and work side-by-side with teachers in the classroom providing in-person support.

But volunteers can't be everywhere. So, TECH CORPS has developed additional resources that teachers anywhere can access free of charge to help them effectively use technology. webTeacherÔ, an interactive, self-paced tutorial, helps teachers learn how to use the Internet. Available in English and Spanish, this Web site receives 60,000+ hits each day. techs4schoolsÔ, another web-based program provided by TECH CORPS, creates online communities for hundreds of school technology coordinators and IT volunteers, enabling even the most remote schools to have access to volunteer technical expertise.

Therefore, the TECH CORPS model is:

· to recruit, place, and support the highest quality volunteers from the technology community to advise and assist schools in the introduction and integration of new technologies;

· to bring new resources to schools through projects such as webTeacher and techs4schools that can be used by teachers anytime, anywhere, with or without a volunteer;

· to build partnerships at the local, state, and national levels that foster collaboration among communities, businesses, and schools.

Working on the front lines …

Through a small national office and a high traffic Internet site, TECH CORPS' replicable model has spread rapidly and successfully across the country. There are now 32 State Directors working on the front lines bringing TECH CORPS resources directly into schools through a cadre of 10,000 technologically savvy volunteers who registered online to share their much-needed services with teachers and students.

Each TECH CORPS State Director has taken the TECH CORPS model and adapted it to utilize the assets of his/her community to meet the needs of its schools. Key to this model is the use of the Internet as a means to enlist volunteers, connect schools to national program resources, and collaborate with effective partners. These three core activities, the central components of the TECH CORPS mission, are exemplified in this sampling of recent activity:

· TECH CORPS volunteers in Racine (Wisconsin), Atlanta (Georgia), and Baltimore (Maryland) wired classrooms, upgraded and installed computers, and then mentored the teachers to help them use this new technology effectively;

· Volunteers in the urban districts of Pawtucket (Rhode Island), Houston (Texas), and Columbus (Ohio) conducted workshops to teach teachers the "ins and outs" of effective Internet use;

· TECH CORPS volunteers and technology companies in New Jersey are collaborating on the creation of a voluntary technology skills inventory and test for teachers;

· TECH CORPS Maryland, the Maryland Business Roundtable Foundation, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Maryland State Department of Education partnered to design and deliver professional development experiences for science teachers and library media specialists throughout the state.

· TECH CORPS Arizona facilitated the expansion of Intel's Living Legacy program into 25 rural schools, enabling students to chronicle their community’s unique cultural heritage.

· Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools across the country utilize TECH CORPS techs4schools online community to access much-needed technical support and advice.

TECH CORPS' rapid growth at the state and national levels over the past five years would not have been possible without the Internet. Only through the power of the Web to disseminate information could the 9,000 - 10,000 queries that come to the national TECH CORPS Web site each and every day be handled efficiently, effectively, and quickly. The Web is after all one of the most efficient ways around to distribute information to the widest audience possible and TECH CORPS utilizes this daily.

But for TECH CORPS, the Web is more than simply a repository of information -- it is a proactive vehicle that fosters and enables action. Through our Web site, national staff trains state leaders, State Directors connect with their volunteers and partners, best practices are disseminated for replication, and volunteers are recruited and matched with schools and with one another. It is this ability to connect people to one another that, when accompanied by supporting information and resources, provides the real opportunity for the human impact that is at the core of TECH CORPS.

The number of schools and volunteers that currently are or seek to become part of TECH CORPS is now so great (and the need so urgent!) that we continue to develop new ways that, utilizing the Web, we can empower others to implement TECH CORPS initiatives locally. With the growing Digital Divide, the speed with which technology is changing, and the increasing need for a technically literate workforce, it is not acceptable for TECH CORPS to defer requests for technology assistance from schools and communities. We must react quickly -- and to do this, we must bring to bear the full power of both the Internet and the individual.

TECH CORPS' Recommendations

Information technology is increasingly critical to the success of individuals, communities, and schools -- but far too many people are still unable to take advantage of it. As a nation we must aggressively tackle this Digital Divide. TECH CORPS believes that IT companies and professionals sharing their time and talents with their local schools can be an important part of the solution. Therefore, our role is to provide catalytic, results-oriented ways for IT professionals and companies to invest their time and talents in local schools, empowering them to share their expertise, connect with one another, and locate the resources they need to help the schools. This new Information Economy requires a new way of interconnecting. To ensure that this "high touch" accompanies the "high tech" in our schools, TECH CORPS recommends that Congress consider the following:

1) Foster Collaboration: It is critical that Congress work in partnership with the private and non-profit sectors in its efforts to advance the role of information technology in our schools. Through legislative and budgetary leadership, Congress has the unique capacity to encourage and support collaboration that will foster maximum innovation and leverage the greatest resources. The highest results will be achieved if Congress works with these successful initiatives… not supplants them by inventing duplicate programs.

2) Bring to Scale: Congress is also in a unique position to help expand the efforts of these private sector sponsored non-profit organizations that have emerged specifically to help schools adopt and use information technologies. While very effective locally, these initiatives need to be brought to scale to achieve maximum impact. Federal funding to these organizations can have a significant impact on bringing to scale those initiatives that have a proven successful track record, are best linked to the community, and can best leverage private funds.

3) Encourage Employee Release Time: Congress has the ability to build on the process it began when granting corporate tax benefits for donated computer by now providing tax incentives for the donation of employee volunteer time to local schools. Tax incentives both for corporations that allow paid release time for their employees and for individuals who donate their own personal time would unleash tremendous individual expertise that would benefit our nation's schools. If we are to have a technologically enabled workforce, if technology is to be effectively integrated into our everyday lives, and if our education system is to harness the full power of the technology being placed at their doorsteps, then we must bring to bear the power of human intervention. IT professionals acting as volunteers represent that power for our schools -- and Congress has the unique opportunity to encourage and reward such efforts.

Conclusion

TECH CORPS will continue to expand into new territories and extend the impact of our work. We will continue to rely on the Internet to spread the word, work and success of what we are doing at the national, state and local levels. Our services, including our Web site, volunteer cadre, national staff, and state directors will continue to work towards a society in which all students have equal access to programs, resources, and skills development to support and enrich their education allowing them to compete successfully in the global workforce. With the proven, successful TECH CORPS model, the power of passionate volunteers, and the speed of the Internet we will meet the call for quality and scale.