The commissioner of education shall develop a comprehensive statewide plan for maintaining and improving educational effectiveness in early childhood family education programs through secondary education programs. The plan shall include provisions for the participation of postsecondary teacher preparation programs and early childhood family education programs. The plan shall encourage implementation of educational effectiveness strategies based on research findings in the area, develop in-service programs for school district staff, integrate developments in educational technology with classroom instruction, and develop a mechanism for establishing a statewide network to coordinate and disseminate information on research in educational effectiveness. The commissioner may employ consultants and specialists to assist in the development of the plan, and, to the extent possible, shall utilize the information provided by the planning, evaluation, and reporting process and the statewide assessment program. The plan shall be revised as necessary.