Virtual Schools and E-Learning in K-12 Environments

Online learning—also known as electronically delivered learning or e-learning—is one of the most important and potentially significant new instructional approaches available for supporting the improvement of teaching and learning in America's K-12 schools today. According to a recent report of the National Association of State Boards of Education, "E-learning will improve American education in valuable ways and should be universally implemented as soon as possible"

A growing body of evidence supports the conclusion that when e-learning is deployed with identical attention to the enabling details that characterize high quality face-to-face instruction, it can effectively complement, enhance, and expand educational options available for K-12 students. In cases where e-learning is appropriately deployed, educators can generally anticipate student academic performance that is at least equivalent to traditional classroom instruction (Cavanaugh, 2001).

Access to online learning systems in public education has shown dramatic growth with support from the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund and the Federal Communications Commission's E-Rate program. According to the most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 98 percent of U.S. public schools were connected to the Internet in fall 2000 (Cattagni & Farris, 2001). Investments in computers, Internet access, technology professional development, technical support, and content development have allowed elementary and secondary teachers and students to experience the benefits of using these powerful new learning technologies.

The deployment and diffusion of online courses in K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions is becoming an almost irresistible force. Accordingly, it is now important to give careful, systematic consideration to details that will have lasting impacts on the U.S. educational system. Such consideration must be given to all aspects of e-learning and online education that may affect the quality, efficiency, equity, and educational choices available to all American students—regardless of age, race, religion, or socioeconomic standing—"any time, any place, any path, any pace" (NASBE, 2001, p. 6).

Online Courses and Virtual High Schools

Internet use in K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions is having a profound impact on the evolution of computer use and the curricular integration of new learning technologies (Valdez et al., 2000). For example:

• A recent Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll survey shows that 35 percent of parents approved of their children earning high school credits online without attending a regular school (Rose & Gallup, 2001).
• Dr. William J. Bennett, U.S. Secretary of Education during the Reagan administration, has gone from criticizing the use of technology in schools to creating his own highly publicized nationwide cyberschool, now open for Grades K-2.

With such broad support and demand, it is not surprising that virtual schools are springing up across the country. (See "America's First Public Virtual High School".) Commercial potential is adding momentum to this growth. Virtual schools now exist in more than two-dozen states. Well-established virtual schools in Florida and Utah boast student enrollments in the thousands (Clark, 2001).

The advent of e-learning in America's secondary schools means that students in small rural high schools, who might not otherwise have access to Advanced Placement courses, can complete such courses online and gain academic credit at quality institutions of higher education. Availability of online course-equivalent learning environments may mean that an injured and homebound high school senior, unable to attend the one available section of a required class, can fulfill the requirement and graduate with the rest of his or her class. In short, e-learning offers a potentially important resource for providing accelerated courses that otherwise might not be available, filling gaps in required course offerings, increasing graduation rates, and reducing dropout rates.

Publications on E-Learning Policy and Practice

The significance of online courses and virtual schools has been underscored by the release of important recent publications describing the contemporary context for e-learning and detailing the important policy issues concerning use of online courses in the K-12 schools. The first of these publications on e-learning is titled The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice (Web-Based Education Commission, 2000). This report examines the promise of the Internet for improving the national education system, with particular attention to equity. It also reports on the significant obstacles blocking fuller utilization of Web-based teaching and learning.

Concrete recommendations are given for this purpose. The report is illustrated by a series of case-based examples looking at exemplary uses of Web-based teaching and learning in all types of settings ranging from military training to migrant education, including e-learning applications in K-12 schools.

E-learning can provide both accelerated and required courses, leading to increased graduation rates and reduced dropout rates.

At about the same time that the Web-Based Education Commission was completing its report, the U.S. Department of Education was releasing the revised National Educational Technology Plan titled E-Learning: Putting a World Class Education at the Fingertips of All Children (Office of Educational Technology, 2000). This document uses the term e-learning in a context broader than recent references that are more limited to online courses and virtual schools. It proposes and elaborates the following National Educational Technology Goals:

Goal 1: "All students and teachers will have access to information technology in their classrooms, schools, communities, and homes."

Goal 2: "All teachers will use technology effectively to help students achieve high academic standards."

Goal 3: "All students will have technology and information literacy skills."

Goal 4: "Research and evaluation will improve the next generation of technology applications for teaching and learning."

Goal 5: "Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning." (Office of Educational Technology, 2000, p. 4)

Although online courses and virtual high schools are discussed in some detail in the body of the plan, it seems clear that the emphasis of the plan is broadly concerned with supporting high quality curriculum content and improved student academic achievement. In fact, the motto of one of the models for technology integration prominently featured in the plan summarizes the general position of the National Educational Technology Plan: "It's not about technology. It's about learning" (Office of Educational Technology, 2000, p. 14).

Most recently, the National Association of State Boards of Education has released a significant new report titled Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace: Taking the Lead on E-Learning Policy (NASBE, 2001). The use of the term e-learning in this report focuses entirely on virtual courses and virtual schools. This emphasis is illustrated in the report's Executive Summary, which makes the case that the available evidence convincingly demonstrates that electronically delivered courses and virtual schools "can improve how students learn, can improve what students learn, and can deliver high-quality learning opportunities to all children" (NASBE, 2000, p. 4).

About this issue | A Message from Gina Burkhardt, NCREL Executive Director | Virtual Schools and E-Learning in K-12 Environments | E-Learning Policy Implications for K-12 Educators and Decision Makers | America's First Public Virtual High School | E-Learning in the Real World | NCREL's Research on Virtual Learning Issues and Priorities | References | NCREL's Online Resource for E-Learning