Guest Commentary: EdWeek on Virtual Education's Accountability Movement

Ian Quillen follows virtual education  for Education Week and contributes to EdWeek's Digital Education blog. He's been attending the International Association of K-12 Online Learning symposium this week.
One of the issues he wrote about is the "shift toward emphasizing accountability and transparency" in online learning programs.
According to Quillen, authors and sponsors of this year's  Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning report say the focus on accountability of online learning "should be embraced, not feared."
"When these programs started, they started out of a point of pain. As a result, there wasn't a lot of measurability or a lot of accountability. I think that's changed a lot, and the report reflects that, Quillen quotes Andy Scantland, the vice president of sales and marketing for Advanced Academics Inc., the Oklahoma City-based provider of public and private online programs, and a sponsor of the report from the Evergreen Group of Durango, Colo., as saying.
Click here to read Quillen's complete blog post.

Tom Vander Ark: 10 Big Advance in the Past 12 Months

Fifteen years ago when I was a superintendent, online learning was a new idea in K-12.  Six years ago when Susan Patrick joined iNACOL as Executive Director, it represented a small but growing fringe.  And now, while many reform groups continue to fight old battles, iNACOL is front and center helping to invent the future of learning.
My year as board chair for the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) concluded today.  It has been a year of great progress in online and blended learning.  Click here to read what I believe are 10 big advances over the last 12 months.

Guest Commentary: Online Learning and the Winners of RTTT, Round 2

The District of Columbia and nine states--Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island--were named winners of second round of Race to the Top.

The winning states will split $4.35 billion. The amounts for each state will be announced later.

Earlier this year, Tennessee and Delaware won the first round of the competition. They split $600 million.

Click here to read a full report on the round two winners.

Click here for iNACOL's analysis of the online components of RTTP Round 2 finalists applications

Guest Commentary: iNACOL President talks about Utah Visit, Digital Learning Council

Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) spoke about the benefits of online education before members of the Utah state legislature.
EdReform.com wrote about Patrick's appearance and caught up with after she had given her testimony. In this video interview, Patrick talks about the meeting, the future of virtual education, and the reception she received from the Utah legislators.She also talks about the newly-created Digital Learning Council, a diverse group of more than 50 leaders from education, government, philanthropy, business and technology who plan to develop principles and policies for digital learning. Led by two former governors, Jeb Bush from Florida and Bob Wise
of West Virgina, want to move virtual education to the forefront of the education reform movement.
Patrick, who is among the virtual movement leaders to sign the council's mission statement, said she is thrilled that the Digital Learning Council will address education "policies that need to be changed" for the digital age.

Ensuring Every Student has Access to Online Learning

Susan Patrick, president and chief executive of the iNACOL, the international association for K-12 online learning, writes, "In an era of shrinking budgets and with an increasing need for students to be globally-competitive, online and blended learning solutions are expanding student access to high-quality courses and programs."

She's right.

From the rural ranches in Idaho to gritty urban schoolyards in the Northeast, kids who once could only dream of having access to advanced math and lit classes, now how these educational opportunities at the click of a power up switch.

Technology is changing education, Patrick says. "Online learning is expanding access to courses in K-12 education and providing a new network of highly qualified teachers to schools and students in under served communities."

Read more of Patrick's essay that was first published by the Computer Using Educators of BC.