Virginia Educational Technology Chief
Receives National Award

Virginia Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Human Resources Lan W. Neugent was honored last week by the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET) for his leadership in the use of technology to improve teaching and learning. NCTET presented its 2004 Community Builder Award to Neugent on January 20 during the organization’s Inaugural Gala at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Neugent was honored for providing leadership on projects that have won Virginia national acclaim and established the commonwealth as a leader in education technology, including the Standards of Learning (SOL) Web-based Technology Initiative and the commonwealth’s new Educational Information Management System (EIMS).

“Every school in Virginia has benefited from Lan’s leadership,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jo Lynne DeMary. “His focus is always on how technology can improve instruction and raise student achievement.”

"It is gratifying to receive this award in recognition of Virginia’s national leadership in educational technology,“ said Mr. Neugent. “I accepted the award on behalf of the school technology directors and Virginia Department of Education staff members whose hard work and dedication have put the commonwealth in the forefront of efforts to use technology to improve instruction."

The SOL Web-based Technology Initiative is serving as a model for states investigating and developing online testing systems. The initiative, which was recently highlighted in a U.S. Department of Education report on educational technology, provides greater student access to computers, Internet-ready local-area-network capability in every Virginia school, and adequate high-speed, high-bandwidth capability for instructional, remedial, and testing needs.

EIMS is Virginia’s solution to meeting the data collection and reporting requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. EIMS also features decision support tools to enable teachers and administrator to make informed educational decisions based on accurate and timely information about student achievement.

Mr. Neugent is a leading authority on educational technology with nearly 30 years experience at the classroom, district, and state level. He joined the Virginia Department of Education in 1996 as director of instructional media and training after serving as a high school teacher, assistant principal, and a community college administrator. As assistant superintendent for technology and human resources, Mr. Neugent is responsible for the direction of state educational technology policy and for carrying out the technology initiatives of the Governor and General Assembly.

NCTET’s Board of Directors established The Community Builder Award in 2001 to recognize exemplary effort in advancing the cause of education technology nationally through collaboration that strengthens the education technology community. Nominees may be individuals from any sector of the education technology community, including businesses, associations, educational institutions, and federal, state, or local education agencies. Previous recipients of the award include:

• The Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV, (WV) United States Senate;
• The Honorable Olympia J. Snowe, (ME) United States Senate;
• John Gage, Chief Researcher and Director of the Science Office, for Sun Microsystems, Inc. and member of the Board of Directors, NetDay;
• Anita Givens, Texas Education Agency;
• Linda Roberts, Former Director, Office of Education Technology, United States Department of Education;
• Dr. Doug Otto, Superintendent, Plano (TX) Independent School District;
• James F. Parsley, Ph.D., former superintendent of Vancouver (WA) Public Schools; and
• Allan Weis, former CEO and President of Advanced Network & Service.

NCTET is a non-partisan, non-profit organization promoting and supporting the effective use of technology to improve education and training. Based in Washington, DC, NCTET organizes policy briefings, conducts seminars, produces background papers, recognizes exemplary technology leadership, and creates networking opportunities for educators and others interested in the advancement of educational technology.

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