ERIC ED438773: Educational Telecommunications: The State-by-State Analysis, 1996-97.

260 Pages·1996·5.8 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
IR 019 898
ED 438 773
Educational TelecoMmunications: The State-by-State Analysis,
TITLE
1996-97.
Hezel Associates., Syracuse, NY.
INSTITUTION
PUB DATE
1996-00-00
259p.; For 1998-99 report, see IR 019 906.
NOTE
Hezel Associates, 1201 East Fayette Street, Syracuse, NY
AVAILABLE FROM
13210. Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone].
Descriptive (141)
PUB TYPE
Reports
MF01/PC11 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Distance Education; *Educational Development; Educational
DESCRIPTORS
Planning; Educational Technology; *Educational Trends;
Elementary Secondary Education; Financial Support; Higher
Education; *Information Networks; State Programs;
*Telecommunications
ABSTRACT
This report provides information about trends in educational
telecommunications for 1996-97. The first section, "An Overview of
Educational Telecommunications in the USA," presents a summary of trends in
the following areas: the growth of telecommunications and distance education;
leadership and governance in telecommunications development; the changing
questions of effectiveness and cost; telecommunications as an essential
solution; the Telecommunications Act of 1996; state telephone rate
regulation; state networks, technologies, and outlets of distance education;
funding of educational telecommunications; and education policy issues. The
"State-by-State Analysis" section contains a description for each of the 50
states. Each state description is divided into multiple sections: "Recent
Developments" highlights activities since the 1994 report; "Statewide and
Local Planning" treats planning organizations and their activities in
coordinating educational telecommunications development with a particular
view to legislation and policy; "Statewide and Local Networks" offers a brief
view of the technical networks established for and used by educational
institutions; "Higher Education" and "K-12" provide information about
programmatic development in distance education and other telecommunications
activities at each respective level of education; and "Funding" offers a
picture of how educational telecommunications is funded. A glossary is
included.
(MES)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
*
"
oh
U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
t;1 This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
Points of view or opinions stated in this
BEEN GRANTED BY
document do not necessarily represent
"ert.L..
official OERI position or policy
sgr
R.T. Hezel
7e
.
9
99
9
9E
A
P
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
BEST COPY AVAILABLE,
0
A
0
HEZEL
ASSOCIATES
Hezel Associates is dedicated
to the intelligent development
of telecommunications and
media resources through
planning and research.
The company assists
media and educational
institutions, state and federal
agencies, and businesses
that are planning and
using media and
telecommunications for
training and instruction.
I I
I
I
. I .
- A Report
by
Hezel
Associates
HE
ATE'
AS§OKSs
4
HEZEL
ASSOCIATES
EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS:
THE STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS, 1996-97
by Hezel Associates
A Report
Copyright 1996, Hezel Associates
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record-
ing, or any storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the pub-
lisher.
Hezel Associates
1201 East Fayette Street
Syracuse, NY 13210
[phone]
5
EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
HEZEL ASSOCIATES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS: THE STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS, 1996-97
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
xi
PREFACE
AN OVERVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS, 1996-97
1
Introduction
3
The Growth of Telecommunications and Distance Education
3
Leadership and Governance in Telecommunications Development
4
The Changing Questions: Effectiveness or Cost?
5
Telecommunications: An Essential Solution
6
The Telecommunications Act of 1996
7
State Telephone Rate Regulation
7
State Networks, Technologies and Outlets of Distance Education
8
Funding of Educational Telecommunications
10
Education Policy Issues
11
Conclusion
11
THE STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS
13
Alabama
15
Alaska
20
Arizona
25
Arkansas
30
California
35
Colorado
37
Connecticut
49
Deleware
52
Florida
57
Georgia
59
Hawaii
64
Idaho
69
Illinois
74
Indiana
78
Iowa
81
Kansas
86
Kentucky
91
Louisiana
96
THE STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS, 1996-97
III
I I
HEZEL ASSOCIATES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Maine
100
Maryland
103
Massachusetts
107
Michigan
110
Minnesota
117
Mississippi
120
Missouri
124
Montana
127
Nebraska
132
Nevada
136
New Hampshire
139
New Jersey
141
New Mexico
151
New York
155
North Carolina
161
North Dakota
167
Ohio
172
Oklahoma
177
Oregon
182
Pennsylvania
186
Rhode Island
191
South Carolina
195
South Dakota
200
Tennessee
203
207
Texas
Utah
213
Vermont
216
Virginia
220
Washington
223
West Virginia
226
Wisconsin
229
Wyoming
233
241
GLOSSARY
7
EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION:
Iv
I
I
HEZEL ASSOCIATES
IEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TRENDS IN STATEWIDE EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLANNING
Never before has telecommunications played such a vital and central role in education
as it does now. Telecommunications is no longer viewed as an add-on garnish to the
usual fare of educationteachers and administrators recognize that telecommunica-
tions is now an essential ingredient to making students smarter and more information
rich. Demographic shifts in the student population, especially in Florida, Texas, and
California, are creating an urgency about new ways to deliver education among bur-
geoning and widely dispersed populations. Other studies by Hezel Associates and the
National Center for Educational Statistics are confirming the growth in the use of tele-
communications and technology. Convergence of computing and telecommunica-
tions has contributed to the widespread adoption of educational innovation in schools,
colleges and universities across the country.
In these anxious times of corporate shrinkage, learners with family responsibilities
who are productively employed and committed to a geographical region, need con-
tinuing education to upgrade their skills and thereby remain competitive in the job
market. Colleges and universities, burdened with dwindling dollars and rising costs,
have been compelled to continue their quest for nontraditional learners and further
the goals of lifelong learning through innovative programs. As expected, educational
telecommunications is forming a cost-effective gateway to the non-traditional learner.
Policy makers at federal, state, and institutional level are involved in developing vi-
able plans to reduce cost and increase effectiveness through intelligent development
of educational telecommunications. The Virtual University of the Western Governors
Association is an example of such a direction.
Insistence on access to quality education programs and information continues to influ-
ence the adoption and use of telecommunications in the K-12 arena. Schools have not
only utilized educational telecommunications for reducing costs and sharing resources,
but also for altering pedagogical methods and enriching the curriculum. In-line with
these trends, a greater emphasis on staff and programmatic development is also evi-
dent at the state level.
Educational Telecommunications: The State-by-State Analysis, since its origin in 1987, has
examined leadership, collaboration, governance, and coordination of telecommunica-
tions at the state level. The hypothesis behind the initial studyand the finding of the
studywas that the better the coordination, the more likely the development of use-
ful telecommunications infrastructures for education. The hypothesis has been borne
out in each analysis: In general, better planning, policies, and management lead to
better, longer lasting educational solutions. The analysis for 1996-97 is no exception.
C't
0
THE STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS, 1996-97
HEZEL ASSOCIATES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since 1987 Hezel Associates has studied the leadership and coordination of telecom-
munications infrastructures and policies, and the coordination of distance learning.
The importance of gubernatorial leadership is no less evident in the mid- to late-1990s
than it was in 1987, and more than four of five currently sitting governors have advo-
cated for statewide development and coordination of telecommunications.
The role of legislatures in funding and policy leadership regarding educational tech-
nologies has been documented in the Hezel reports. Now nearly every legislature
faces bills on distance education or, more broadly, information and telecommunica-
tions. In many states the legislatures and governors are creating new organizations
and agencies to coordinate the intelligent development of statewide plans for tele-
communications.
THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENT
The much awaited deregulation through the passing of the Telecommunications Act
of 1996 in the Congress promises to level the playing field for cable operators, long
distance companies and telephone companies to target new markets and partnerships
for concentric growth. As a result of deregulation, high end networking services and
offerings may be anticipated for educational applications in the near future. Educa-
tional institutions on the other hand expect to gain improved bargaining strength and
favorable terms in dealing with their phone companies.
One-way video and two-way audio continues to be a method of delivering synchro-
nous distance education that the greatest number of schools have adopted. National,
state and local distance learning organizations continue to employ satellite, broadcast-
ing, and ITFS for the delivery of live instruction to the classroom. Satellite technology
is alive and growing for distance learning, in part due to the development of new
statewide satellite services. Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida join Oregon, Nebraska,
and South Carolina as robust users of satellite technology.
The networking and software industry, on the other hand, continues to offer products
which make distance learning more accessible over modems and ISDN. All across the
country, universities and colleges under cost constraints are flocking to the World Wide
Web for distribution of coursework and programs. Phenomenal growth of desktop
conferencing for business and government has opened up opportunities for applica-
tion in education. Effective utilization of available bandwidth through innovative net-
working products has lowered the barriers to entry and initiated educational technol-
ogy pilot projects all over the country at K-12 and postsecondary level.
Other technological advancements that are evident in states include adoption of ATM
switches for delivery of voice, video and data. Penetration of ISDN across states, how-
9
EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
vi
I
HEZEL ASSOCIATES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ever, is uneven and where an aggressive phone company has chosen to pursue the
technology, educational projects have been evident.
FUNDING
The on-going debate to balance the budget has raised questions of continual fund-
ing and stability of long standing educational telecommunication financiers. Evi-
dence of the funding trend at the federal level is the near-termination of Star Schools
program, cuts in National Science Foundation allocation, and reduction in Telecom-
munications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) fund man-
aged by the Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Informa-
tion Administration (NTIA) to fund educational institutions. Along with the reduc-
tion in funding at the federal level, a parallel and more welcoming sign has been the
increased role of the states in telecommunications development. Preoccupied with
rationalizing state fiscal budgets without compromising on basic services such as
health, education and safety, governors have resorted to adoption of technology
delivery for increasing access at reduced cost. Statewide telecommunications pro-
posals with a focus on cost effectiveness are being promoted in the halls of the state
legislatures across the country.
Universities and colleges seek reduction in cost and increase in revenue through effec-
tive use of distance learning. In light of reduced state and federal grants, unlike the
past, currently educational telecOmmunications projects are being dictated more and
more by cost-benefit analysis to ensure sustainability over the long run. Barriers to
acquiring capital cost and insecurity of continual operating funds continue to chal-
lenge administrators across the country.
EDUCATION POLICY ISSUES
Numerous policies regarding education and telecommunications are yet to be drafted.
Articulation agreements, assignment of credit and tuition payments remain loosely
defined in most states. Sometimes policy is defined in action, often with disastrous
results. The chancellor of the University of Maine System resigned when faculty failed
to support a plan to establish the Education Network of Maine as a credit-granting
campus of the University.
Goals 2000 funding from US Department of Education is having a considerable impact
on educational telecommunications as states and local schools look to technology and
telecommunications as an integral tool in reaching the goals. In addition to the Goals
2000 initiative, the Department of Education has made Challenge Grants to schools for
the integration of technology and telecommunications in the development of improve-
inent-oriented partnerships with other schools.
THE STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS, 1996-97