President Bush and Congress have declared their commitment to transforming the Federal role in education so that “No Child is Left Behind.” At the heart of this effort is a commitment to focus on students, equip teachers, empower parents, and inform decision makers to ensure that every child receives a quality education. The "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" advances this commitment by providing a number of exciting reforms, tools and programs, many of which are reliant on the appropriate and effective use of technology.

Experts and practitioners have all agreed on the importance of not just increasing technology capacity within schools, but integrating it with the curriculum. The "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" reflects this commitment in several exciting ways:

Education programs as technology opportunities: Along with targeted funding for technology, many of the education programs, such as Reading First, allow recipients to purchase technology resources to accomplish the program’s goals.

Commitment to professional development: Numerous programs offer funds for professional development to ensure teachers understand how to integrate appropriate technology tools effectively with their curriculum. Additional resources are made available for teacher preparation initiatives.

Flexible uses of funds: States, for example, may use funds for inter-state distance learning partnerships, data decision support systems, and even forming public-private partnerships that support activities such as interest-free loans.

Evidenced-Based Education: Throughout the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" is a commitment to funding strategies that have been proven to work based on scientifically based research. A commitment to researching what works along with measuring the impact technology has on instruction and learning is evidenced by the focus placed on state evaluations along with a national multi-year study intending to explore the conditions needed for effective use of technology.