Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - Pre Conference CoSN/ISTE Washington Advocacy Day for Education Technology Leaders

We invite education technology leaders to join the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for “Washington Advocacy Day” on February 25, 2003. Held in conjunction with the CoSN K-12 Conference, Washington Advocacy Day is an opportunity for education technology leaders to tell the “ed-tech” story to their Senators and Representatives and explain how the policies and programs that come out of Washington help improve teaching and learning at home. For first-time participants, there will be a two-hour “Public Policy Boot Camp” on how to effectively advocate for education technology with your Congressional Delegation. During this session, you will receive tips on how to educate and persuade key Congressional decision-makers, advocate without lobbying, and build long-term relationships with Capitol Hill staff. For all participants, there will be an issue briefing where we will be joined by key Congressional staffers to discuss the current legislative agenda and how ed-tech as well as the current political environment may have an impact. During this session, you will receive a substantive legislative update on the 108th Congress, focused primarily on the status of education technology initiatives and funding. Following the morning briefing, participants will go to Capitol Hill for the afternoon to meet with members of Congress and put the day’s lessons to use.

With the FY03 federal funding crisis and continual attacks on federal education technology dollars, it imperative that your Congressional Representatives and Senators hear from you about the benefits of education technology in classrooms and the urgent need for federal support for hardware, software, professional development, and infrastructure costs. They also need information and advice on local education issues, especially the impact of No Child Left Behind, that only you can provide. By becoming active in our Washington Advocacy Day events, you will have an opportunity to polish your key messages and to deliver your informed perspectives on the state of federal and local education initiatives.

We urge you to take part in our "Washington Advocacy Day" and ensure that your voice is heard on Capitol Hill.

Note: The first fifty persons the sign up for training will get a complementary ticket to the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training's (NCTET) Gala that evening, Tuesday, February 25, 2003. This "not to be missed" event allows you to rub shoulders with members of congress, key administration VIPs and leaders from the private sector.

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Public Policy Boot Camp

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Public Policy Issue Briefing

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Public Policy Leadership Training Congressional Visits

3:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Private Sector Council Meeting (by invitation only) (off property)

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Exhibitor Set-up

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: CoSN Committee Meetings (off property)