Given this, I’d be surprised if districts could simply shift to the new funding model Hill describes—and even if that didn’t matter, because this funding is opposed to how they operate today, they will predictably gear up to fight the sort of wholesale change for which Hill advocates.

It’s one of the reasons that I think a more fruitful way forward, at least for now, is to create these new funding models for the online learning entities that are growing—just as Florida did with the Florida Virtual School, for example—and build on the change from there as these disruptive innovations gain share.

For the rest of the article, go to School Finance in the Digital-Learning Era: A Review

The report summarizes lessons learned from the pilot year (2010-2011) of the Virtual Learning Lab program, a collaborative effort between the Miami-Dade County public school district—one of the largest in the country—and the Florida Virtual School—a state-wide, Internet-based public high school with the highest enrollment in the country. SRI researchers collected information on 5,500 students in 38 public high schools through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and site visits to seven schools.

For the rest of the article, go to Study of Miami-Dade’s Virtual Learning Lab Reveals Key Success Factors for “Blended Learning” Programs

The study, written by two professors at the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and released Tuesday, highlights a number of emerging problems with the growth of online learning.

Serious questions

The study raises questions about the quality of virtual education, such as the lack of supervision, as well as the financial motivations of for-profit companies that have pushed state legislatures to expand virtual instruction.

“Private corporations, most of which are for-profit, have recognized a huge potential market in virtual schooling,” wrote the study’s authors, who urge states to more closely examine how much they pay for virtual instruction.

Florida has long been at the forefront of virtual education. There is the state-backed Florida Virtual School, which offers full-time and part-time virtual classes paid for by taxpayer dollars and each school district in the state is required to offer virtual classes, either through its own program, the Florida Virtual School, or private companies.

And this year, a new state law requires all public high school students to take an online course prior to graduation as well as allow charter schools to offer full-time “virtual” classes.

For the rest of the article, go to Study finds flaws in virtual education

A testing company that Florida officials criticized last year for being late with FCAT scores is now being chided by Oklahoma school districts for the same problems. And reports continue to filter in of slow traffic times around some schools, especially during the afternoon pickup times.

For the rest of the article, go to EduJax: Teachers unions need to take lead; virtual schools see value in classrooms

I spoke with Apex Learning CEO Cheryl Vedoe, one of the leading online curriculum providers to traditional and virtual schools; Maureen Cottrell, a science teacher at iHigh Virtual Academy in San Diego, California; Rian Meadows, an economics instructor at Florida Virtual School; Patti Joubert, the mother of two full-time Florida Virtual School students; and Carylanne and Christiane Joubert, her two daughters.

For the rest of the article, go to 5 Surprising Perspectives About Online Schools

Known as the Pioneering Alternative Career-centric Education, the P.A.C.E program is offered to individuals who are at least 18 years of age, providing them an affordable opportunity to continue their high school education, earn their diploma, and get a better job.

For the rest of the article, go to Continental Academy Offers a Self-Paced Online High School Diploma Program

“My hope is we won’t have to turn a child a way from they’re neighborhood school. I don’t want that to ever happen. However we have to comply with the law we can’t say it will never happen,” says Pietsch. “My concern as an administrator is to do what’s best for the children,” she adds.

For the rest of the article, go to Voters reject Amendment 8 on class size; students and schools will need to be flexible

More than 625 educators participated in the online survey, which examined how teachers are combining classroom teaching with online learning, such as self-directed courses, Webinars, tutorials and instructional videos.

For the rest of the article, go to NewsU Survey Finds Educators Are Integrating E-Learning Into Curriculum

A student from a remote rural school in Florida described how virtual learning helped her overcome learning challenges and provided additional opportunities to complement her traditional school. Senior Obama Administration officials engaged the audience in conversations about using the latest technology innovations to provide educational opportunities at any time, any location, and in different ways.

Discussions included the National Education Technology Plan, reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act., STEM, and the “future of learning” – a panel with Julie Young, President & CEO of Florida Virtual School; Rob Lippincott, Senior Vice President of Education at PBS; and Ramona Pierson, Founder & Chief Science Officer for SynapticMash, a Seattle-based education technology start-up. These industry experts described opportunities to use technology to engage students with targeted and appropriate interventions based on better use of data and digital content, including simulations, video, interactive environments, and embedded assessments.

For the rest of the article, go to Department of Education Hosts National Rural Education Technology Summit