North Carolina’s Instructional Technology Section is implementing three major research and evaluation initiatives. The first is an external evaluation of its IMPACT Model School Grant program by North Carolina State University College of Education and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. Funded through NCLB’s Enhancing Education Through Technology competitive grant process, this grant is funding eleven schools across the state for three years (2003-2006) as they implement a high-level media and technology program based on the state’s IMPACT guidelines for media and technology programs and the North Carolina Educational Technology Plan requirements and recommendations.

In the second initiative, the Division of Instructional Technology, SEIR*TEC, NCSU, and SETDA received one of eleven U.S. Department of Education Evaluating State Educational Technology Programs (ESETP) grants in 2004. Using the IMPACT Model School Grant schools and the initial NCSU/Friday Institute external evaluation model, this grant , Looking At North Carolina's Educational Technology (LANCET),is funding a more complete examination of the IMPACT Model Schools Grant program, including:

• a scientifically-based research, metacognitive reading initiative (NCSU);
• a qualitative, case study component;
• a formative evaluation and capacity building process (SEIR*TEC);
• and a dissemination of the growing research base and findings (SETDA).

The third initiative is Instructional Technology’s one-year, 1-2-1 grants funded by EETT competitive dollars. The grants replicate the IMPACT Model School Grant external evaluation and the SEIR*TEC formative evaluation process. The external evaluation is being conducted by faculty in the Watson School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

NCDPI Instructional Technology Division’s philosophy, theory, and process for research and evaluation can be found in the Research and Evaluation section of IMPACT: Guidelines for Media and Technology Programs (2005).