774 million people worldwide -- more than double the population of the United States -- cannot read and write.  

Illiteracy is rampant, but it is also highly concentrated in a few countries, where poverty, conflict, and poor health care often complicate efforts to provide education. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of illiterate people has increased by 40% since 2000, despite significant gains in other global regions.

Early bird registration specials for CoSN's 2014 Annual Conference end this Friday, December 13. Our 2014 Annual Conference, from March 19-22 in Washington, DC, will explore our hyper-connected work and digital learning systems with an eye on the conference theme, "Continuously Connected, Constantly Learning." Register now and save $100 -- prices go up in just 2 days! You can find full registration details at: http://cosnconference.org/attend/registration.

Connected Educator Month (www.connectededucatormonth.org) is ending with a bang. Join us for the last few CoSN events!

CoSN’s International Delegation just kicked off in Portugal! Do you wish you could be there? Join them from home instead by following participants' insights and up-to-the-minute impressions on our delegation blog (http://cosninportugal.wordpress.com/) and on twitter (search for the hashtag #cosnportugal)!

We just opened registration for our 2014 Annual Conference here in Washington, DC. With its theme of Continuously Connected...Constantly Learning, the Conference how K-12 leaders can create digital learning ecosystems in today's hyper-connected world. Be sure to register here before early specials end on December 13. You will find all you need to know on www.cosnconference.org.