Technology in Education conferences are held in which provisions are made for the participation of representatives of private school students. This program authorizes grants to states by formula with competitive awards being made to school districts for technology resources, including hardware and software, ongoing professional development for teachers, connection to wide-area networks, and educational services for adults and families. Title XIV applies to the competitive awards received by school districts, including the provision for timely and meaningful consultation before any decision is made that would adversely affect the ability of private school students to benefit from the program. This is a unique program designed to stimulate effective applications of new learning technologies in communities across the country. State education agencies, colleges and universities, telecommunications firms and entertainment producers, software developers and hardware manufacturers, libraries and museum, community centers and local businesses, and private schools and groups of private schools may all be consortium members using information technologies to create new learning communities.
Private schools can participate in two ways.
First, private schools are eligible to participate in a consortium applying through an LEA for a Challenge Grant. Private school officials must be provided the opportunity, prior to the design of the program, to provide input regarding the needs of private school students to be served by the project. A listing of the regional technical support consortia is provided in the Appendix. The role of regional technical support consortia is to provide technical assistance and information, provide professional development, and disseminate information for educational technology. A full description of the requirements under the Uniform Provisions for the participation of private school students under Title XIV .