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Mike Honda
Rep. Mike Honda unveils first legislative initiative
By Amy Goodpaster Strebe
In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy urged Americans to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country."
His words inspired the creation of the Peace Corps, and, in this spirit of volunteerism, Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) has launched the National Education Technology Corps. Honda unveiled the proposal March 5 at a ceremony at Rosemary Elementary School in Campbell.The proposed nationwide program will recruit volunteers in the technology industry to bring their experience and expertise into classrooms.
"NET Corps is a new approach at the federal level to improve the possibilities of education through technology," said Honda at the March 5 launch of the initiative at Rosemary Elementary School in Campbell. Honda introduced the legislation in the U.S. Congress on March 8.
According to Honda, a former high school science teacher and principal in the San Jose area, the NET Corps program is designed to recruit part-time and full-time volunteers from high-tech companies for America's schools, to help network administrators provide services to classroom teachers and libraries.
NET Corps volunteers will also be recruited from undergraduate and graduate programs at universities across the country, and, according to Honda, they must possess a minimum level of expertise that will be determined by the Corporation for National Service.
"One of the difficult things that occurs in schools that have high-tech equipment is the maintenance," said Honda. "We want to be able to support the schools in this manner. It's a critical piece of the big picture that will support classroom teachers and the youngsters."
The proposed legislation would amend the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, to create this new volunteer service program. The Corporation for National Service's VISTA program will administer NET Corps and it will share in VISTA's mission to serve the nation's disadvantaged communities, according to Honda's press office.
To encourage participation in NET Corps, the federal government will offer a 20 percent tax credit to private corporations that lend their employees to the program.
"NET Corps is an excellent model for improving the capabilities of our schools because it creates incentives for the private sector to become more involved in education," said Honda. "By creating incentives for our high-tech companies to get further involved in education," he said, "we can build meaningful relationships between our schools and our businesses."
Rosemary Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Kimber Olinger is no stranger to technology in the classroom. Olinger, who is also the school's on-site tech coordinator, features multimedia equipment in her classroom, which includes almost a dozen computers, three TV's and a video camera.
"Kids need to start being savvy users of technology," Olinger said. "My classroom isn't typical, and the district has been very supportive with funds for some of the computers. What Mike Honda is doing is great. By working with students to learn how to do Internet research," she said, "we are providing models for how technology is used in the world."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
