Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: A Review of State-Level Policy and Practice, 2008
Author: Watson, John
Date: 2008-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Online Surveys,Definitions,State Agencies,Computer Mediated Communication,Interpersonal Communication,Program Evaluation,International Education,Elementary School Students,Educational Change,Trend Analysis,National Surveys,School Districts,Educational Trends,Teacher Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Outcome Measures,Special Education,Educational Policy,State Policy,Policy Analysis,State Programs,Governance,Educational Legislation,Educational Finance,Educational Practices,Accountability,Program Descriptions,Profiles,Teaching Methods,Educational Resources,Elementary Secondary Education,Charter Schools,Teacher Education,Academic Achievement,Dual Enrollment,State Surveys,Interviews,Virtual Classrooms,Electronic Learning,Educational Technology,Online Courses,Computer Assisted Instruction,Internet,Synchronous Communication,Asynchronous Communication,Blended Learning,Distance Education,Audits (Verification),Program Administration,Program Effectiveness,Clearinghouses

"Keeping Pace" has several goals. First, it strives to add to the body of knowledge about online education policy and make recommendations for advances. Second, it serves as a reference source for information about programs and policies across the country, for both policymakers and practitioners who are new to online education as well as those who have extensive experience in the field. Third, because there has been so much online education activity in the past year, the report attempts to capture new activity. A definitions section immediately precedes the executive summary. There are many terms in online learning without commonly understood definitions; this section defines some key terms in this report. The first chapter, titled National snapshot and the year in review, captures a picture of the state of online learning in 2008 and provides a short summary of some key developments in the past year. Survey results: Online programs and practices discusses some of the findings of the "Keeping Pace" survey of online programs around the country. For Notes from the field the authors invited sponsors and other researchers and practitioners to contribute short articles on specific subjects that in most cases were not major areas of focus for "Keeping Pace." Key policy issues discusses important online learning issues and is based on the research done for the state profiles that appear near the end of the report. The Conclusion looks to the future and explores some of the policy changes that, if implemented, will help expand educational options for students. Following the above-listed chapters are two long sections that provide much of the data on which the summaries and conclusions are based. The first section describes a subset of the programs that responded to the "Keeping Pace" program survey, divided by program type. For each program type common attributes are discussed, and exceptions to the common attributes are noted. The second section contains online learning profiles of all fifty states, divided into four geographic regions. Although presented first, the key issues chapter of the document builds on the program and state profiles presented later in the report. Most state profiles include footnotes that reference state laws, state policies, and websites of programs. However, in some cases, the information is general and was gathered through numerous website reviews and phone interviews with state agencies; in these cases footnotes are not included. The primary purpose of footnotes is to provide the source documents that will be most valuable to readers. Methodology is appended. (Contains 9 figures, 4 tables, and 216 footnotes.) [Additional funding for this paper was provided by the Illinois Virtual High. For "Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: A Review of State-Level Policy and Practice, 2007," see ED535913.]