The National Education Technology Plan was officially released at a launch event on Friday, January 7th, 2005. Executive Summary Over the next decade, the United States will face ever increasing competition in the global economy. To an overwhelming extent, this competition will involve the mastery and application of new technologies in virtually every field of human endeavor. It will place particular emphasis on the need for heightened skills in mathematics and science. It is the responsibility of this nation’s educational enterprise – including policymakers – to help secure our economic future by ensuring that our young people are adequately prepared to meet these challenges.