Guest Commentary: Erin Dillon and Bill Tucker--Lessons for Online Learning

Here's a preview from the Spring 2011 issue of Education Next.
Erin Dillon, a senior policy analyst at Education Sector, and Bill Tucker, Education Sector's managing director, write that "Virtual education is in a period of rapid growth, as school districts, for-profit providers, and nonprofit start-ups all move into the online learning world.
"But without rigorous oversight, a thousand flowers blooming will also yield a lot of weeds. Real accountability, including the means to identify and end ineffective practices and programs, must be constantly balanced with the time required to refine new, immature technologies and approaches to learning. Both virtual education advocates and education policymakers should learn from nearly two decades of experience with charter schooling, another reform movement predicated on innovation and change within public education. After nearly 20 years of practice, the charter school movement provides important lessons on how to ensure that improved student outcomes remain the top priority."
Click here to read the complete article and learn what the authors believe the virtual education movement can learn from the charter school movement.