U.S. Releases National Ed-Tech Action Plan

The U.S. Department of Education intends to pay for research to study online professional-collaboration communities for teachers and other educators, according to the action plan in the final version of the Obama administration’s National Education Technology Plan.

The final version of the plan , unveiled last week by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, also pledges to finance development of open-source educational resources and launch an initiative dedicated to defining and increasing educational productivity. Mr. Duncan spotlighted the plan in a Nov. 9 speech at a conference of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, held at the National Harbor complex in Prince George’s County, Md., just outside Washington.

“Our team here ... is absolutely committed to doing the work necessary to bring this plan to life,” Mr. Duncan said. “We’re going to need the effort of everyone—parents, teachers, students, business leaders—to create the digital learning experiences that will prepare...