About Promising Practices in Online Learning

Online learning within K-12 education is increasing access and equity by making high quality courses and highly qualified teachers available to students. Online learning programs offer courses, academic credits and support toward a diploma. They vary in structure, and may be managed by a state, district, university, charter school, not-for-profit, for-profit, or other institution. Thirty states and more than half of the school districts in the United States offer online courses and services, and online learning is growing rapidly, at 30% annually. This growth is meeting demand among students, as more than 40% of high school and middle school students have expressed interest in taking an online course.

The most well established K-12 online learning programs are more than ten years old, and many programs have between five and ten years of operating experience. The newest programs are building on the expertise of those early adopters, as well as the experience of online learning in postsecondary institutions and the corporate world. A body of knowledge, skills and practices has been developed by individual programs, in collaboration with practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. Because there are so many types of online programs (full-time, supplemental, stateled, district-level, consortium), there are also many different approaches to teaching, student support, professional development, and other issues.

This series, Promising Practices in Online Learning, explores some of the approaches being taken by practitioners and policymakers in response to key issues in online learning in six papers being released throughout 2008:

• Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-To-Face Education

• Using Online Learning for Credit Recovery and At-Risk Students

• Oversight and Management of Online Programs: Ensuring Quality and Accountability

• Socialization in Online Programs

• Funding and Legislation for Online Education

• A Parents’ Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program

The title, Promising Practices, deliberately avoids the term “best practices.” There are too many approaches to online learning, and too many innovative teaching and learning strategies in the 21st century, for one method to be labeled “best.” Instead, this series aims to discuss the issues and explore examples from some of the many online programs across the country, with a goal of illuminating some of the methods showing the most promise.

Online learning offers the advantage of personalization, allowing individualized attention and support when students need it most. It provides the very best educational opportunities to all students, regardless of their zip code, with highly qualified teachers delivering instruction using the Internet and a vast array of digital resources and content. Through this series of white papers, we are pleased to share the promising practices in K-12 online learning that are already underway.