SREB States Lead the Nation in Educational Technology, Rankings Show

Georgia — an SREB state — is No. 1 in the U.S. in education technology and was the only state in the nation to receive an A in the report. Virginia, also an SREB state, ranked third with an A-minus.

In total, eight of the top 10 states in the nation were SREB states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Eleven of the 16 SREB states earned a B-minus or higher.

“SREB states are committed to leading the nation in educational progress. Since the mid-1990s SREB has provided leadership and a forum for states to share good ideas through its Educational Technology Cooperative,” SREB President Dave Spence said. “Online learning and other advances in educational technology have never been more important or useful. States need to do even more to help every student have access to high-quality courses and teachers, and technology can help.”

Among the highlights, Technology Counts shows that:

• Nearly all SREB states have a state virtual school that provides online academic classes to students statewide. In contrast, more than half of all states in the nation do not have a state virtual school.
• Fifteen of the 16 SREB states have set state standards for students on technology, and 15 offer online professional development to teachers and educators.

For more information on your state’s progress in educational technology, please contact SREB Communications. See Education Week’s full report at www.edweek.org.

SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.