STAFF STUDY

Staff Study



Staff Study

Identification of the problem

This report provides a summary and analysis of virtual school activities and trends at Kelley Virtual School. The virtual school movement can be considered the "next wave" in technology based K-12 education, joining proven distance learning delivery methods. Virtual schools are defined for the purposes of this study as educational organizations that offer K-12 courses through Internet- or Web-based methods. Based on extrapolations from this survey, a “ballpark estimate” was reached that 40,000 to 50,000 K-12 students will enroll in an online course in 2001-2002. At least 14 states have a planned or operational state-sanctioned, state-level virtual school in place. Other types of virtual school organizations include: university-based virtual schools; virtual school consortia; virtual schools operated by schools and districts; virtual charter schools operated by state-chartered entities; and virtual schools operated by private school entities. The study also looks at for-profit providers of curricula, content, development tools and infrastructures (Clark, 2000).

This study is intended to provide insights into activities and trends of K-12 virtual schools in the United States. The study includes Survey Results from a recent online survey of a peer group of 33 virtual schools, Virtual School Profiles across the range of virtual school types, and a brief review of Context Factors. A Summary and Recommendation section provides a brief summary of virtual school characteristics and a list of recommendations for planners (Clark, 2000).

Recommendation

The results of a March 2000 study, Virtual High Schools: State of the States, informed planning for this revised and updated edition. While the March 2000 study focused on state-level, state sanctioned virtual schools; the present study looks more broadly at the different types of virtual schools. A number of other studies and online resources created since then were also reviewed the present study provides brief Virtual School Profiles illustrating the different kinds of virtual schools that have been identified. The Virtual School List is also maintained and updated online at http://www.dlrn.org/virtual.html. With the rapid growth of the field, maintaining such lists is becoming an increasingly challenging venture (Clark, 1998).

Background

The online survey was conducted from July through August 2001. Because of difficulties in identifying every virtual school effort in the United States, a peer group approach was used. A total of 44 virtual K-12 schools were identified to include in this peer group, through web research, literature review and personal contacts. All 44 were operational in 2000-2001, held regional accreditation or state-approval as K-12 educational entities, and offered at least a partial curriculum through Internet or web-based instruction. A few additional schools meeting these criteria were located, but they were not included in the peer sample because an individual representative could not be identified for email contact. Additional schools meeting these criteria became apparent through ongoing revisions to the Virtual School List through September. It is likely that the smallest programs are underrepresented in the peer group (Clark, 1998).

Collection of Relevant Information

Initial survey contact was through a personalized email describing the study and giving ...