The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA- 05) released the following statement earlier this month after introducing H.R. 5303, the 21st Century Classroom Innovation Act, which encourages the use of blended learning in the classroom.

"In the past few years we've seen an increase in the number of classrooms integrating technology - and these personalized learning tools are leading to tremendous academic performance. As the mom of three, I see firsthand how technology in the classroom transforms education. Now we're taking this success to the next level - we're making it possible for students in communities in Eastern Washington and across the country to experience blended learning. By fully incorporating technology into teachers' lesson plans, elementary and secondary education possibilities are limitless - and academic results will improve, opening new doors for students. By arming students and teachers with education-focused technology, we are helping our nation's students succeed in the 21st century and reach their full potential."

By allowing state education agencies to recognize blended learning pilot programs at the local level, fully integrated technology instruction will better support personalized instruction for all individual students. Participating schools will demonstrate improved students' assessed outcomes by using actionable data from students' work.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is Republican congresswoman representing Washington's fifth congressional district.