Ask any technology director at any grade school about "CoSN" (pronounced KO-sin) and he or she is probably a member of it.
Even if these technology coordinators aren't paying yearly dues to CoSN, they likely have gained employment from its existence.
The Consortium for School Networking is a nonprofit group that promotes the use of information technology in kindergarten to 12th-grade classrooms. CoSN is best known for building a coalition of support and convincing Congress to enact the "e-rate" program -- a tax tacked onto phone bills to help pay for telecommunications gear in financially strapped schools.
While the group says it continues to face a host of challenges in helping schools gain Internet access, it has nonetheless become a powerful presence in Washington.
"CoSN has grown so big nationally that they are asked to testify in some way, shape or form in every educational hearing," said CoSN chairman Jim Hirsch.
"They do seem to have some clout," said Darrell Walery, tech coordinator for Consolidated High School District 230 in Orland Park, Illinois, and a paying member of CoSN. "All the initiatives supported by CoSN have been met with some effect. They were a huge supporter of the whole e-rate program. That in and of itself has provided billions of dollars to help schools that don't have money for technology."
CoSN was started 10 years ago by a group of teachers and school officials who wanted to help schools implement technology in their classrooms. The educators argued that the use of such technology would improve learning among students.
While studies showing a link between improved learning and computers have been limited, and some educators argue technology education can be detrimental to students' learning, CoSN pats itself on the back for closing a digital divide in the classroom through its advocacy in Washington.
Every school in the country has some form of connectivity today, according to CoSN executive director Keith Krueger.
But that doesn't mean that the group's work is done.
CoSN was dealt a blow when Congress voted against its wishes and passed the Children's Internet Protection Act. This legislation mandates that schools block or filter Internet content as a condition for receiving certain educational technology funding. CoSN said the decision to filter content should be left up to individual school districts.
CoSN distributed literature and is holding workshops to help schools comply with the new law. "What the guide says is almost as important as what it doesn't say," Hirsch said. "We realize that there are over 15,000 school districts in the United States, and so what we're trying to do ... is capture all the options that are available and then look at a variety of answers to those questions."
Also, about that 100 percent connectivity figure -- it doesn't mean that every school in the country actually has Internet access. For some schools -- the poorest school districts -- it means there is a phone line in the building, but it's not necessarily being used, Krueger said.
But some schools that want computers for their students and can't afford them have had to forfeit the e-rate grants CoSN ardently fought for because they couldn't afford to pay the 17 cents per dollar required to receive the funds.
Then there's a familiar problem plaguing even the most technically advanced schools: Many teachers and students don't know what to do with the technology.
While David Salisbury, director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the libertarian-oriented Cato Institute, is not familiar with CoSN, he doesn't agree with its approach in advancing computer education. He says that parents should be given the money to choose the best schools for their children, including an "electronic type of charter school or home school."
"The real problem in education isn't a lack of technology, but a lack of competition in a competitive education market place," Salisbury said. "There's been government money and private money that have gone into schools for years. But there is no indication that these programs have lasting effect."
Salisbury called e-rate a "bad tax policy."
"People should realize they are paying taxes," he said.
Hirsch, CoSN's chairman, says his group isn't advocating that educators purchase gadgets just to have them -- but rather only when they aid learning.
CoSN holds regular workshops and forums educating teachers and tech coordinators on the best use of technology, he said.
Hirsch also says it is important that all children gain computer skills and that they learn about their generation's preferred mode of communication -– computers.
"We have to understand that their preferred method of learning is not our preferred way of learning," Hirsch said. "For example, a student right now when they have a question, it isn't just going to the Internet (to get an answer). It's going into an instant message type of scenario or on a phone or on the Internet to talk to a friend and see what is that friend's experience on that topic."
In other words, CoSN is aware of the criticism and is working to curb people's concerns.
For schools that need to purchase equipment, CoSN offers aid in the form of an e-rate application and a brochure of tech vendors. It doesn't actually assist with financing.
But CoSN's members say the group's strong point is its advocacy work.
Walery, the tech coordinator from Illinois, says he has been a member of CoSN for three years and that his school district signed up as a corporate member this year. Walery says he pays $60 a year to receive CoSN's newsletters on the latest education bills.
"So many things that affect us in school are related to politics, for example, the e-rate program," Walery said. "One of the great things (CoSN does) is they do keep me informed as far as what's going on (at) the federal level on these kinds of initiatives."
