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Hi, I'm Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, and I've tried to do everything I can through all my life

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to give opportunity to children from communities who haven't had the best of advantages and haven't had a chance to fulfill their real academic and social potential.

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And I've always tried to champion everything I think that can make a real difference

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when it comes to helping students fulfill their academic and social potential.

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And that's why I'm a big, big believer in the promise of learning technologies.

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This isn't just about doing things online that we used to do with a pen and paper,

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and it is not just about connecting classrooms with the wider world, although that is really important.

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It's about offering teachers powerful new ways of identifying whether their students are struggling, and how to reach them before it's too late.

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It's about giving our best teachers the chance to teach more students in more places,

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and it's about offering all of our students a personalized education, tailored to their individual needs,

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an education that has never before been possible without hiring an individual or a private tutor.

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These kinds of cutting-edge technologies hold extraordinary promise.

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Countries around the world understand that, and that's why they are pushing the boundaries of what's possible with learning technologies.

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And the question for all of us is, is America going to lead, or are we going to be a laggard, are we going to follow?

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And we know America must lead, and that's why I am so proud to support Digital Promise,

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America's new National Center for Advancing Learning Technologies.

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Created by Republicans and Democrats, and championed by a coalition of educators and business leaders,

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Digital Promise is an independent non-profit that will help spur breakthrough learning technologies,

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and will make sure Americans of all ages and all races, regions and backgrounds can benefit from them.

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By harnessing the extraordinary work being done by educators, innovators and citizens across the country,

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Digital Promise can help prepare Americans and America to succeed in the 21st century.

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I know some folks may be skeptical that technology offers a silver bullet for solving the problems in American education.

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The truth is we all know there are no silver bullets when it comes to education.

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But with technology, we can more rapidly ramp up opportunities for excellence and equity through personalization.

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I've seen it in classrooms, I've heard it from educators.

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Technology can be an extraordinarily powerful tool for helping teachers teach and for helping students learn,

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and Digital Promise will help all of us unlock its potential.