ED Secretary Arne Duncan suggests school officials should use the short-term federal funding to upgrade technology and improve the tracking of student data to avoid being caught short when stimulus money runs out. Adopting innovative technology now could pay dividends for school systems in coming fiscal years, the secretary explained. ED has $10 billion in discretionary dollars that will be awarded to schools that meet goals set in the education stimulus.

Jim Shelton, ED’s assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement, said a national education technology plan would be released in early 2010. In the meantime, Duncan said, schools should incorporate digital content into everyday classes and consider open-source learning management systems, which have proven cost effective in school districts and colleges nationwide.

Click here to read the full story from eSchool News and learn more about Duncan’s to-do list for education.