U.VA.'S EDUCATION SCHOOL CITED FOR PIONEERING ROLE
IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 1 -- The University of Virginia's
Curry School of Education was cited at a White House ceremony this
week as a consortium of 10 national organizations pledged support
for President Clinton's technology-education challenge delivered
during his State of the Union Address in January.
	The organizations, representing millions of educators,
announced their collective support for bringing new standards of
technology into teacher-preparation programs nationwide.  The
organizations are preparing a "21st Century Teachers" project.  To
be launched this fall, the project will help educators incorporate
technology in teaching and learning.  Its aim is to train more than
one of every six teachers in the nation next fall on using computers
in all subjects and grades.
	The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
(NCATE) announced at the ceremony that all 500 of its member schools
must meet new standards for technology this coming school year in
order to become or remain accredited.  The standards call for
teachers and teacher-candidates to be knowledgeable about computers
and technology and incorporate them in instruction.
	"We want teachers to have the knowledge and skills they need
to help K-12 students make effective use of technology in the
classroom,"  said Arthur Wise, NCATE president.
	U.Va.'s Curry School of Education embodies the new
technology standards and provides a model for other institutions to
follow, NCATE officials said.  The national accrediting organization
cited among the school's multiple approaches to integrating
technology into its programs:  using key faculty as role models for
others, creating a space for walk-in consulting with faculty on
instructional uses of technology, assigning priority to developing
student teaching/intern placement with teachers who use technology
in their daily work, incorporating technology into methods courses,
requiring students to take computer courses or demonstrate
competencies in the use of computers, and linking directly to the
public education network that provides access to the Internet.
	"The Curry School has provided leadership in innovative uses
of instructional technology within the University and in
partnerships with other institutions," U.Va. President John T.
Casteen III said in a statement released at the ceremony.  "These
partnerships between the University and the schools provide an
important channel for dissemination of information that will affect
the next generation of educational leaders."
	Education technology is one of three major components of the
Curry School's teacher-education program.  The emphasis on
technology begins with the first course a student takes and
continues through the final practicum, according to Curry School
Dean David W. Breneman.  
	"Virginia's K-12 schools have been important partners.
Collaboration with local schools on a shared network led to
development of one of the nation's first statewide K-12 Internet
systems.  This was a partnership among the University, schools,
state governments and private enterprise.  The collaborative
tradition continues in many of the Curry School's technology-based
instructional initiatives," Breneman said.
	The Curry School works closely with the Association for
Advancement of Computers in Education (AACE), an international
organization that promotes the use of technology and computers in
all subject areas.  Curry School faculty have worked with the AACE
on several projects, including creation of a Technology and Teacher
Education Server.  (A server is a computer with advanced
capabilities attached to a network and shared with a group of
users.)  
	Curry school faculty and AACE representatives are also
jointly developing proposals in response to requests from the State
Council for Higher Education in Virginia and the state Department of
Education to furnish technology training for elementary and
secondary school teachers.
	"The national leadership role the Curry School has played in
technology and teacher education has led to many collaborations,"
said Glen Bull, an associate professor of education who spearheaded
an innovative computer network that enables teachers to communicate
worldwide.
	In its first ranking of graduate education schools in 1995,
U.S. News & World Report magazine placed the Curry School 13th in
the nation and cited it as a pioneer in high-tech pedagogy.  
	Founded in 1905, the Curry School seeks to improve the
quality of teachers in the region and nation through its five-year
teacher-education program that combines a strong academic focus with
professional training.
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May 31, 1996

	FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Arthur Wise at (202) 466-7496;
David Breneman at (804) 924-3332 or Glen Bull at (804) 924-7471.
Television reporters should contact our TV News Office at (804)
924-7550.