On March 8, 2012, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE^®), and the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) will present the ninth installment of the Washington Education Technology Policy Summit. This dynamic Summit will focus on the latest ed tech policy trends, particularly the reauthorization of ESEA, the status of federal education funding, and the latest developments in the E-Rate program.  Now is a time of great urgency in the field of education technology programs and for ed tech funding.  With states preparing for online common core assessments in 2014 and the federal education budget facing significant cuts, advocating for federal support and leadership in education technology is more vital than ever. We hope you will take advantage of this excellent opportunity to have your voice heard on Capitol Hill.

Overview
The goal of the Summit is to engage Beltway insiders and leaders throughout the education technology community in dialogue about ed tech policy. We continuously strive to encourage this dialogue and the Summit is a key part of that effort.  This bipartisan Summit provides a balanced forum for learning and networking among policymakers, tech industry insiders, regulators, and legal experts; each of whom will have their own perspective on various tech policy topics. You will leave the Summit with a clear understanding of the impact federal policies are having on tech innovation, the pros and cons all parties have on this topic, and how we can all work together on the ultimate goal of enabling innovation in our schools. The event immediately follows the CoSN 2012 Annual Conference taking place March 5-7, 2012 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Those interested in attending the Summit can take advantage of CoSN’s special conference hotel pricing from March 5-8, 2012. You can book your reservation online.

The Washington Education Technology Policy Summit will once again offer a stellar lineup of education technology stakeholders for the 2012 event.  As the 2012 assembly of speakers is finalized, they will join the list of such honored past speakers as Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education and former Governor of West Virginia, Hon. Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission and Dr. Carl Harris, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education.

Who Should Attend
In addition to the attendees of the CoSN Annual Conference, the Summit is open to all education technology leaders, policymakers, regulators, investors, and legal experts.

Programming Structure
AM Program:

• Continental Breakfast
• Advocacy Bootcamp

The program will commence with the Advocacy Bootcamp, where you will receive insight from high level Washington policymakers on the key education policy issues of the day including talking points on ESEA reauthorization, federal education funding and the E-Rate program; and tips on making your case for ed tech.

PM Program:

• Lunch and Keynote Presentation
• Scheduled Delegation Meetings

Attendees will attend pre-scheduled meetings with their congressional delegation to discuss the importance of educational technology funding in their state and how technology has enhanced their schools and classrooms.  Upon registering for the event, your delegation meeting will be pre-scheduled by Summit coordinators.

Registration
The cost to attend the Summit is $75 per registrant. You may click here to register for the event.