April 2006 — Policy/Advocacy
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'Dear Senator…'
To save the future of technology in schools, members of Congress need to hear your success stories—from you.
I WALKED INTO the senator’s outer
office a few minutes late, having gotten lost
in the underground tunnel that connects the
two Senate office buildings near the Capitol
in Washington, DC. I checked in with the
receptionist, who called the staffer I was supposed
to meet. In the meantime, approximately
20 people, all wearing identical
T-shirts bearing a slogan about immigration
reform, crowded into the office to drop off
information about their cause.
While I waited, two impeccably—and expensively— dressed men dropped off a book of photographs suitable for display on a coffee table, and a notebook of information for a meeting the next day. In one corner of the office, a staffer was meeting with two people to talk about saving the Columbia River Valley, while another staffer was listening to a small group of veterans voice their concerns. My contact came into the office, apologized for the crowd and lack of space, and suggested that we just stand and talk. I told her that I was there to support two issues:
- reinstatement of funding—at least $496 million per year—for Title II D of the No Child Left Behind Act (Enhancing Education Through Technology).
- the E-rate, specifically bills S. 241 and HR 2533, which would prevent stoppages in E-rate funding such as occurred last year.
I then said I had anecdotal evidence from her senator’s state to illustrate the importance of both concerns. I had supporting research and statistics (including how much money from EETT and the E-rate had been distributed to the state over the past few years), and I was willing to answer any questions or find further information for her. Since we were standing in a crowded office, I figured I would give her the choice of which issue to address first.
Her answer was actually more encouraging than I had hoped: The senator strongly believed in both programs, had supported them in the past, and would support them in the future. The staffer had two simple requests of me: She wanted me to send in anecdotal reports (and research if possible) showing how EETT and the E-rate has affected students and teachers in the senator’s state, and then keep in touch to remind the senator of the importance of these issues. She nodded toward the crowd in the office and shrugged her shoulders, as if to say there is a lot of competition for the senator’s attention. I gave her some handouts I had on both programs, as well as one on the role of technology in science and mathematics initiatives; then I left her with my business card and departed. The entire conversation took less than five minutes. Appointments at two other legislators’ offices went similarly.
