Michael Lin, superintendent of the Corona-Norco Unified School District in California, will be the only Chinese-American superintendent attending a first-ever school chiefs summit in Washington on Wednesday.

The National Connected Superintendents Summit will recognize more than 100 superintendents from across the nation for their "leadership in helping transition their districts to digital learning", the Office of Educational Technology said.

US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and senior officials from the US Department of Education will be on hand.

Lin said his school district was one of many that had recognized the importance of digital learning tools. "This important endeavor begins with a solid foundation of technology infrastructure," he said in a statement. "The community has recently validated this by passing a local school improvement bond measure."

"I look forward to working with the nation's superintendents in getting our schools' technology ready for the future," he said.

Lin will join 17 other superintendents from California and a total of 117 school leaders from across the country at the summit.

Lin's district, located 45 miles outside of Los Angeles, consists of 31 elementary schools, eight middle/intermediate schools, five high schools, a middle college high school, and three alternative schools. It serves 54,000 students and is the tenth-largest district in the state.

The superintendent summit on Wednesday comes after the ConnectED Initiative President Obama announced last June to promote internet connectivity in schools. The president announced that it aims to connect 99 percent of students across the country to broadband internet within five years.

"In a country where we expect free wi-fi with our coffee, why shouldn't we have it in our schools? Why wouldn't we have it available for our children's education?" Obama said then.

"Technology has the potential to transform education in America, allowing students to learn more, to do so at their own pace, and to develop the knowledge and skills employers demand," said Richard Culatta, director of the Education Department's Office of Educational Technology. "Yet fewer than 30 percent of classrooms have broadband Internet to support today's education technology needs."

The school leaders on Wednesday will be recognized for transitioning schools and families to high-speed connectivity, accelerating progress toward universal access to quality devices.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 11/18/2014 page3)