Guest Commentary: Florida Virtual School CEO Looks at the Future of Online Learning

Julie Young is the founder and chief executive of the Florida Virtual School, the nation's largest virtual school.
In an opinion article for T.H.E. Journal, Young says " it's truly amazing to see how education has been transformed during the last decade. While most of our elementary and high school memories come from the traditional schoolhouse, today that model of learning has evolved immensely. Over the years, advances in technology have spurred many changes in education. With the recent passage of the Digital Learning Now Act in Florida, which expands virtual education options to parents and students, one trend that finally has the power to truly revolutionize the very fabric of our education system is online learning. "
Young says, "today's kids live in a digital world. The reality is that the influence of technology will only grow, so, as leaders in education, we need to create educational experiences that mirror life beyond the schoolhouse. It's an exciting time in education reform and, with student focus at the center of every decision we make, we are proud to be a leader in these revolutionary changes."
Click here to read the complete article and find out the types on online learning programs Young believes are the best.

Guest Commentary: Responses to 'Don't Politicize Virtual Education'

Last week, Miami-Dade School Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla wrote an opinion piece for the Miami Herald in which he said politics should not prevent the expansion of virtual education.
His position generated a lot of response.
Claudia Moris of Hialeah, Fla., wrote the Herald that, "virtual education seems like another development of our technological society that will further minimize the importance of social interaction. Diaz de la Portilla seems to forget that there are many opinions in this matter.
"I think supporters of this virtual 'education' have forgotten that they learned through traditional methods and that their lives were shaped by school experiences, good or bad. I realize that there is a crisis in our school system that top educators need to fix. A virtual classroom will not solve our children’s academic problems, but shroud them," Moris added.
Kathy Giurtino of Tavernier, Fla., wrote, "Renier Diaz de la Portilla uses the words 'choice' and 'choose' several times. Unfortunately, our legislators are not giving students a choice with regard to virtual classes. They are requiring students to take an online class in order to qualify for high-school graduation.
"Virtual classes are a wonderful tool and should be made available to all students as an option. But to require students to take at least one virtual class before graduating once again shows that elected officials live in a comfortable cocoon where they think everyone has the things that they take for granted," she added.
Click here to read the responses in their entirety.

Guest Commentary: Don't Politicize Virtual Education

Renier Diaz de la Portilla is a member of the Miami-Dade School Board and wrote an opinion piece on the game-changing impact virtual education can have for the May 15 Miami Herald.
"Expanding the use of virtual education in our school district would allow us to focus more on remediation strategies for students who have fallen behind in bricks and mortar classrooms, while those who are more academically advanced can participate in virtual classes," he writes. "In a time of increased budget cuts to education, many schools across the state are reducing or eliminating elective courses. Online education offers students the opportunity to take a wide range of elective courses and Advanced Placement classes, which may be lacking or simply unavailable altogether in their schools."
"Sadly, some critics, including teachers' unions, have been reluctant to embrace all forms of educational reform, including charter schools, merit pay, school choice and virtual education, Diaz de la Portilla continues.
Click here to read the complete opinion piece and find out why Diaz de la Portilla believes that it is "unfortunate that when it comes to the modernization of our educational program offerings, some choose to politicize the issue."

Guest Commentary: One Teacher's View of the Highs and Lows of Virtual School

Rian Meadows, an economics instructor at Florida Virtual School, recently sat down with a writer from MindShift, a NPR/Argo Network website the focuses on technology is revolutionizing education.
In the interview, Meadows talks about moving from the traditional classroom to a virtual one. She is frank about the positive and negatives of teaching online. She also is blunt about the responsibilities teachers and students have when the classroom is virtual.
Click here to read the complete interview.

Guest Commentary: Florida Expands Virtual Education, But Obstacles Remain

Florida expanded its virtual learning horizon, even as it once again reminded us that age-old education boundaries won’t easily cede to global technology.
That's how Jon East, the director of policy and public affairs for Step Up For Students, a nonprofit scholarship organization that oversees the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for low-income children sees it in an article he wrote for redefinED.
East says the "Digital Learning Now Act" waiting for Gov. Rick Scott's signature "was a clear victory for online education, adding more public and private options."
"Florida Virtual School, the nation’s largest and most successful public virtual school, will be allowed to provide full-time programs for all grade levels and part-time not only for high and middle school students but also for accelerated fourth- and fifth-graders. High school students will be required to take an online course for graduation. All providers will be held to similar academic accountability standards and will receive similar reimbursement," he writes.
However, East continues, "the bill did contain reminders of the obstacles that remain. Legislative staff attorneys and education analysts refused to accept a broader strategy offered jointly by Florida Virtual and its private competitors that would have allowed both to operate statewide, giving simpler options to all students. They deemed, with some justification, that such an approach would be challenged and found unconstitutional. That’s because Florida’s constitution, like that of many states, apportions oversight of education based on the physical location of students and schools. That means school boards are in charge, even when they need not be"
Click here to read East's complete post.

Guest Commentary: Free Market Competition for Online Students? FLVS Chief Says, 'Bring It On'

What happens when disruptive innovation disrupts an innovator? That's one of the conundrums facing Florida legislators as they debate the future of SB 1620. Simply put, SB 1620 would create virtual charter schools, let students sign up for the online courses with or without the school districts' permission and allow companies anywhere in the world provide online courses to children in kindergarten through high school. Currently virtual education in Florida is provided by the public Florida Virtual School, which offers middle and high school classes, and six private vendors that districts can contract with. Districts also can create their own virtual programs. Students must go through the district to sign up for the classes. SB 1620 would require the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) to offer full-time classes from K-12 and allow students to sign up directly with vendors approved by the state education department. There are some in Florida who, in other instances, would be supportive of SB 1620, but are conflicted. They do not want to do harm to the venerable FLVS. The Florida Virtual School was founded in 1997 and was the first state-led virtual school in the U.S. It is currently the nation's largest state-led virtual school serving more than 90,000 student in the 2009-2010 school year. Not to worry, says Julie Young, FLVS's president and chief executive. “We feel like that every program is different and has its own personality, and parents and students will choose what’s best for them,” said Young. “I think it’s good.” Click here to read more about Young's thoughts on SB 1620.

Guest Commentary: Competition Best Way to Provide Students Online Opportunities

A Florida House committee was recently treated to a high-level discussion of digital learning that included the likes of former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise and national education reformer and Liberate Learning blog contributor Tom Vander Ark, but the showstopper came from a different duo with a jaw-dropping accord.
The policy director for the nation’s leading public virtual school and the president of a leading private virtual education company told lawmakers that competition is the best way to give students new online opportunities.
No, we’re not making this up.
Sitting around that committee room table were Holly Sagues, chief policy officer for Florida Virtual School, and Barbara Dreyer, president and CEO of Connections Academy. Florida Virtual is far and away the nation’s most successful public virtual school, whose 213,926 courses last year represented three times the rate of the next closest state. Dreyer and one of her own private competitors, K-12 Inc., have found common ground with Florida Virtual on a plan that would introduce statewide private providers for all forms of online learning.
Click here to read the rest of a post and discussion that education policymakers should note.