In 2006, we were funded by the BellSouth Foundation (later the AT&T foundation) to study K-12 virtual schools. Our first step was to actual visit state-led virtual schools in multiple states. During those visits two things became immediately apparent. First, recent reports, including US Department of Education research studies, provide evidence that online K-12 learning works as well as or better than face-to-face learning. However, that does not mean that simply putting content online equals success. Since 1996, online schools have been established, have gained experience, have failed in some areas, and have succeeded in interesting ways. Second, about 80% of what virtual schools work on are similar in many ways. For instance, most virtual schools have had lengthy conversations about LMS and CMS platforms, whether to go open source, etc. Schools have also spent time concerned with teacher reciprocity. However, even though there are efforts at collaboration between states, many states do not realize that virtual schools (even in neighboring states) are often going through the same struggles and issues. And, of course, there is the 20% of things that virtual schools do that are different because of their context. For instance, some virtual schools only serve students in their state. Other virtual schools have to content with specific policies true only to their state. With these differences in mind, we began to study the virtual schools and their similarities and differences. However, rather than spending years observing and perhaps getting it wrong, we invited K-12 virtual schools into the writing process. We invited 15 K-12 virtual schools to share a chapter with us on their experiences. The chapters varied obviously due to the differences in the virtual schools. However, each chapter contained at least 5 similar main topics. 1. Historical Perspective and General Overview - After reading this section people should have a ‘big picture' view of your online school. Important information to communicate in this section is the historical background of your school including the circumstances surrounding its establishment, initial sources of funding, and supporting partnerships. In this section it is important to include the mission and goals of your online school in relation to the student population served and the types of educational services offered. 2. Administration and Policy - After reading this section people should understand the administrative and instructional organization of the school. Important information to communicate in this section relates to the functional structure of your online school such as how credits are distributed, relationships to onsite schools and the state educational system. In this section more detail should be provided regarding the structure of your online school in relation to the courses offered and students served such as basic instructor information, the total number of courses offered, the number of students enrolled, and process of enrollment enroll. 3. Outcomes and Lessons Learned - After reading this section people should understand the points of pride and obstacles experienced by your online school. Important information to communicate in this section relates to positive and negative outcomes such as increases/decreases in enrollment, teacher retention, and student based outcomes. In addition to acknowledging the positive and negative experiences of your online school specific areas of accomplishments should be addressed. 4. Best Practices - After reading this section people should understand the practices and strategies implemented by your online school that support student success. Important information to communicate in this section includes school based, instructor based, student based, and support based measures implemented. In this section it is important to consider the range of educational opportunities offered your online school offers in relation to student success. 5. Future Plans - After reading this section people should understand the next steps your online school will take in relation to its mission and goals. Important information to communicate in this section can address future plans in relation to administration, pedagogical strategies, course delivery, student/instructor support, and technology. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the major findings from this book. Particular focus will be paid to the similarities and differences between the virtual schools, as well as best practices. Audience members will leave with a set of tested strategies as well learnings from some of the newest and some of the most established virtual schools.
