National statistics demonstrate that only fifty-percent of U.S. students who enroll in postsecondary education actually complete a degree program. In a major effort to increase student retention and college graduation, private organizations and the U.S. government are doling out grants to advance education through technology.

In December 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced $12.9 million ed-tech grants for community colleges and remedial courses. According to the Gates Foundation web site, the recipient of the grants will

• Work with community college educators to create cutting-edge virtual environments that will support teachers and improve students’ academic performance.

• Create collaborative technology and social media tools to form virtual communities for high quality educators to create a national certification program for teachers of remedial education.

• Develop dynamic virtual learning labs, which can be freely accessed and used as open resources.

» Read more: Education Technology Grants Aim to Increase Student Retention and College Graduation

Technology has become an essential part of American education, whether through the use of mobile devices in a classroom or through the creation of online learning platforms. Education technology can enhance the learning experience for students of all ages and can even assist the education of students with special needs.

The special education category does not just include students with mental retardation, but encompasses a larger group of students such as those with learning disabilities, physical illnesses, speech, auditory, and visual impairments, and autism, among others. Over 1,000 students within Lufkin Independent School District (LISD) in Texas require some form of special education- nearly 12 percent of the district’s total student population. Most special needs children in the district are enrolled in regular classrooms but require additional instruction or more one-on-one attention. The idea of offering extra help to these students is to get them back into regular classes full-time. And technology is helping special education teachers to do just that.

» Read more: Technology Helps Special Needs Students Learn