Using data collected from a national sample of more than 400 high school principals, the study found these administrators see online learning as meeting the diverse needs of their students whether through advanced placement, elective college courses, or credit recovery.
The major reason cited for online and blended offerings is to provide courses that otherwise would not be available.
Study coauthor Anthony G. Picciano of The Graduate Center and Hunter College at City University of New York, pointed out the critical importance for online education among the smaller and rural schools.
"High schools in all locales are facing serious challenges, but rural schools probably have the most difficulty. Online and blended learning are a critical part of the strategy they are employing to deal with limited tax bases, low enrollments, and difficulty in attracting and keeping certified teachers," he said.
Some of the report's key findings include:
- Credit recovery is the most popular type of online course being offered at the secondary level. Urban high schools, which historically have the lowest graduation rates, are embracing online credit recovery as a basic part of their academic offerings.
- High school administrators consider online elective college-level courses an effective means for the more able students to begin their college careers.
- Survey respondents report that offering online and blended courses makes financial sense when trying to meet specific needs for small groups of students.
- Rural schools are in the vanguard in offering online and blended learning programs to their students—using online courses to overcome significant problems in funding, teacher certification, and small enrollments.
Click here for pdf of report.
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