Online Learning Takes Off in K-12 Schools

More Students Taking Classes Online, with Further Growth Expected

NEEDHAM, Mass., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Sloan Consortium reports significant growth in online learning among the nation’s elementary and secondary school students. It is estimated that more than 1 million students are now taking classes online – a 47% increase from the Sloan Consortium’s original K-12 study done two years earlier. “K-12 Online Learning: A 2008 Follow-up of the Survey of U.S. School District Administrators” finds the vast majority of American school districts are providing some form of online learning and even more plan to do so within the next three years. The complete survey is available at www.sloanconsortium.org.

“Survey results indicate that online learning is meeting a wide range of student needs from remedial to accelerated instruction,” said Anthony G. Picciano, professor, School of Education, Hunter College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York. “In particular, it provides the ability to offer coursework that is otherwise unavailable at a child’s school, which we find to be especially significant in rural districts.”

Four out of five school districts use more than one provider of online classes, including postsecondary institutions, virtual schools within a district’s home state, independent vendors, and education service agencies. Among the barriers and issues perceived as most significant for school districts are concerns about course quality and costs related to course development. These concerns are similar to those seen in the original study.

“We are seeing online learning grow in relevance and acceptance throughout education,” said Frank Mayadas, program director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and president, Sloan Consortium. “Two out of three school districts expected further growth in their enrollments for online course while 61% expect growth in their enrollments for blended courses.”

The Sloan Consortium’s K-12 online study – conceived and developed by Anthony G. Picciano, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and Jeff Seaman, Babson College; and funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation – consists of responses from 867 public school district chief administrators representing every region and all 50 states in the country.

The Sloan Consortium is the nation’s largest association of institutions and organizations committed to quality online education and administered through Babson College and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Visit www.sloanconsortium.org.

Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education.

Hunter College is the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system and the first choice among all CUNY applicants. Founded in 1870, the College offers more than 170 undergraduate and graduate programs. Hunter is noted for its professional schools in education, health sciences, nursing and social work, as well as its excellence in the liberal arts. The Graduate Center is the doctoral granting arm of the City University of New York. Founded in 1961, the Center offers 32 doctoral programs in the humanities, social sciences and sciences.

SOURCE Sloan Consortium