Special Report
Education

Missouri

By Debra Viadero — May 03, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Missouri’s educational technology efforts, once fueled by $15 million to $20 million a year in state funding, have been running on fumes from the state for the past three years, according to Deborah K. Sutton, the instructional technology director for the Missouri education department.

She says lawmakers’ reluctance to pour more money into schools’ technology needs may stem from a combination of factors besides a lean overall state education budget.

“There is a perception among some people that once you buy the equipment, there aren’t any more costs,” says Sutton. “But schools also have the responsibility of really showing legislators what good educational technology can do, and I don’t think schools have done a good job of that.”

Still, instructional technology programs for disadvantaged schools forge on with help under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which enabled Missouri to funnel $9.5 million in federal funds to such programs for the 2004-05 school year, Sutton says. But that aid will drop to $6.8 million for the following fiscal year.

Half the $9.5 million supports formula grants for schools, while the other half pays for a program called eMINTS, which stands for “enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies.” Its aim is to provide professional development and ongoing support so that teachers of grades 3-8 can incorporate technology into teaching approaches that are more oriented to discovery- or hands-on learning. So far, 800 teachers have undergone training, and the education department expects to expand the program into high schools within two years.

Currently, the state continues to help pay for a low-cost Internet network used by K-12 schools, libraries, colleges and universities, government offices, and other public entities in the state. Schools pay a minimal participation fee, Sutton says, but the state foots the bill for the backbone of the network and for special services, such as a help desk, free access to some databases, and training for users.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education In Their Own Words The Stories That Stuck With Us, 2023 Edition
Our newsroom selected five stories as among the highlights of our work. Here's why.
4 min read
102523 IMSE Reading BS
Adria Malcolm for Education Week
Education Opinion The 10 Most-Read Opinions of 2023
Here are Education Week’s most-read Opinion blog posts and essays of 2023.
2 min read
Collage of lead images for various opinion stories.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
Education Letter to the Editor EdWeek's Most-Read Letters of 2023
Read the most-read Letters to the Editor of the past year.
1 min read
Illustration of a line of diverse hands holding up speech bubbles in front of a subtle textured newspaper background
iStock/Getty