If Maryland's future citizens are to live, learn and work successfully in a complex and information?rich tomorrow, then today's public school students must learn to use technology effectively. Parents want their children to have these skills, and so do their neighbors and employers across the state.

THE STATE TECHNOLOGY PLAN. In 1995 the state government began implementing the Maryland Plan for Technology in Education, which has as its goal to ensure access to appropriate technology in the classrooms by the year 2003. The General Assembly in 1998 created the Maryland Technology Academy, under the direction of Towson University and Johns Hopkins University, to provide intensive learning opportunities for teachers on how to use new technologies to promote student performance.

HOW DO MARYLAND SCHOOLS RANK? Too many public schools still lack computers in their classrooms or have outdated, low?capacity machines; classrooms suffer a lack of wiring and network access, and more access to training is needed for teachers, along with additional technology support staff. Maryland ranks above the national average for schools linked to the internet, but the percentage of schools with those links varies widely among Maryland counties.1

TEACHERS ARE THE LINCHPIN. The Maryland State Teachers Association has worked closely with the Governor and General Assembly to promote increased spending targeted to modernizing and equipping public schools and training teachers to use and teach technology. As the Maryland Business Roundtable for education noted, ". . . teachers are the linchpin for bringing technology to students. We must support them through training."

¹ Where Do We Stand Now? A Progress Report on Technology Resources in Maryland Schools, Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, September 1998.

A message from the Maryland State Teachers Association.