WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor                        S.B. 721

(6) in support of the overall national technology policy, the State
Department of Education and the Department of Economic and Employment
Development must assume a vital leadership and coordinating role in providing the
State's vision and strategy to infuse advanced technology throughout all educational
programs;

(7) State support can ease the burden at the local level by enabling the
acquisition of advanced technology, teacher training and support, and market
development for new educational products;

(8) continuing professional development for teachers and administrators
requires constant access to the latest advancements in technology to keep teachers and
administrators excited and knowledgeable about the unfolding opportunities for the
classroom;

(9) the increasing use of new technologies and telecommunications systems
in business has increased the gap between schooling and workforce preparation; and

(10) public private partnerships involved in the development and use of now
technologies for education should bo encouraged, assisted, and fostered by the State of
Maryland.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article - Education

SUBTITLE 7. TECHNOLOGY FOR EDUCATION
7-701.

(A)     IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS
INDICATED.

(B)     "ELIGIBLE CONSORTIUM" MEANS PUBLIC OR PRIVATE NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.

(C)     "INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMING" MEANS THE FULL RANGE OF AUDIO
AND VIDEO TEXT, GRAPHICS, OR ADDITIONAL STATE-OF-THE-ART
COMMUNICATIONS DISTRIBUTED THROUGH INTERACTIVE, COMMAND AND
CONTROL, OR PASSIVE METHODS FOR THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION AND
INSTRUCTION.

(D)     "LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY" HAS THE MEANING STATED IN THE
FEDERAL ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 1965, 20 U.S.C. §

2891(12).

(E)     "STUDENTS" MEANS STUDENTS FROM A BROAD RANGE OF
BACKGROUNDS AND CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING:

(1) DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS;

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