Virtual Learning Courses Online High School Diploma | Home Schooling | Accredited Online Middle School and Online High School | HomeSchooling: US: Study Says Virtual School Enrollment Explodes
US: Study Says Virtual School Enrollment Explodes
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By Corey Murray, eSchool News on 17 November, 2009 03:25:00
Virtual schooling, and its potential to increase student achievement, was the
focus in Plano, Texas, as more than 500 educators from across the nation
gathered for the annual Virtual School Symposium Nov. 5-7. The three-day event
featured the release of a study detailing a dramatic surge in online enrollment
among school-age children--up to a 50-percent increase in some states,
researchers said--as well as a new guide for teaching online courses, among
other resources.
Enrollment in K-12 online courses in the United states has exploded in the past
year, increasing by as much as 50 percent in some states, according to a new
report from the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL).
Called "Keeping Pace With K-12 Online Learning: A Review of State-Level Policy
and Practice," the massive, 131-page document examines state-led online learning
programs underway in 24 states and considers the policies, funding models,
training programs, and other factors necessary to establish effective online
learning environments.
According to the report, 38 states now feature either state-led online learning
programs, policies regulating online education, or both. At the Florida Virtual
School, the nation's first statewide public online high school, enrollment
reportedly spiked by more than 50 percent compared with the last school year.
The statewide Idaho Digital Academy reported similar growth, while the Louisiana
Virtual School program grew by 18 percent and the international Virtual High
School program, which now has virtual-school programs in 30 states and 25
countries, grew by 24 percent, the report said.
With such tremendous growth have come a host of challenges, researchers say.
Where educators and students are drawn to the new opportunities created by
online courses, the policies put in place to govern traditional brick-and-mortar
learning environments often don't address the special needs and challenges
associated with learning and teaching in a virtual context.
As part of the report, researchers examined the different models currently used
to fund and sustain statewide online learning programs, and they examined other
issues facing virtual schools, such as how to conduct teacher professional
development, establish program accountability, meet standards for student
achievement, and use the web as a means of enhancing traditional learning
environments.
A PDF of the full report is available on NACOL's web site.
NACOL released the report at its annual Virtual School Symposium, held Nov. 5-7
in Plano, Texas. The event--which preceded the opening of the National School
Boards Association's annual Technology & Learning conference Nov. 8 in downtown
Dallas--was conceived as a forum to discuss the many ways virtual schooling can
be incorporated to enhance traditional learning environments.
"Online learning is opening access and opportunity for all students by providing
high-quality courses and highly qualified teachers over the internet--regardless
of their neighborhood or geography," said NACOL President Susan Patrick. Patrick
is the former director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of
Educational Technology, where in 2005 she was instrumental in publishing the
current National Educational Technology Plan.
The "Keeping Pace" report was just one of many developments to come out of this
year's symposium.
Realizing that U.S. schools aren't the only institutions making headway with
virtual schooling, NACOL also has released the results of an international
survey, examining how other countries are using the internet to boost student
achievement.
The survey, which seeks to establish a dialogue between the United States and
other countries about how to improve the quality of virtual instruction,
provides snapshots from 30 different countries, including Australia, China, the
United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, Nepal, and more.
The survey asked education officials from participating countries to answer
questions on a variety of topics, including current online initiatives, funding,
student population, content development, quality control, professional
development, and current trends and obstacles.
The report, available free of charge on NACOL's web site, includes summaries of
each country's returned questionnaire.
In addition, in partnership with NACOL, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills
(P21)--a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group focused on better preparing
students for the challenges of the new global economy--has released a document
examining the role virtual learning can play in better preparing students for an
increasingly competitive, technology-laden workforce.
Though virtual learning shows promise in expanding the options available to
students and thereby improving U.S. education, the real challenge for schools is
ensuring that online lessons incorporate the skills demanded by employers in the
modern workforce, the P21 report says.
Where subject mastery in such basic areas as math and reading is important,
researchers contend, students also must work to develop higher-level critical
thinking and advanced reasoning skills. Unfortunately, they say, U.S. schools
have no system in place to develop these attributes fully--at least, not yet.
"Skills like creativity, problem-solving, communication, and analytical thinking
are necessary for all levels of success, from entry-level jobs to engineering
and technical fields," researchers wrote. "However, the U.S. K-12 education
system as a whole does not yet teach and measure these skills directly."
Where eLearning already is being used in the workplace to conduct staff training
and offer continuing education, it also could be used in K-12 schools to better
prepare students for the challenges and realities that await them after
graduation, advocates say.
"The virtual school provides access to online, collaborative, self-paced
learning environments--settings that can facilitate 21st-century skills," the
report said. "Today's students must be able to combine these skills with the
effective use of technology to succeed in current and future jobs."
Still other developments to come out of the symposium are a new report about
funding for virtual schools by the BellSouth Foundation and new "Guide to
Quality Online Teaching."
Authored in conjunction with the National Education Association, the guide makes
several recommendations for schools looking to launch new virtual-school
programs or improve the quality of existing programs, NACOL says. Among its many
recommendations, the guide suggests offering reciprocity for virtual educators
hired to teach across state lines.
This isn't the first time an educational organization has attempted to develop
standards for improving virtual-school instruction. Earlier this year, the
Southern Regional Education Board released its "Essential Principles of
High-Quality Online Teaching," a checklist of sorts for schools to follow in
hiring and training effective online educators.
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