"Making Teachers Better": A Brief History of Professional Development for Teachers

Abstract

In 2007, reports from the Office of the Secretary of Education’s website listed statistics about educational technology and schools. As of November 2006, the Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2005 report indicated “the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access in public schools was 3.8 to 1…” This was a decrease from 2003, when the ratio was 4.4 to 1. (Department of Education, 2006) There was also information about funding, including the $2.25 billion in the federal E-rate program supporting discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access, and networking for schools and libraries. With each Federal funding program for educational technology, professional development was an essential component, requiring up to 25 percent of funds to be used for professional development on using technology to improve student outcomes.