by Jessie Woolley-Wilson, President, K-12, Blackboard Inc.

In today’s classroom, students are asking for options to help them succeed in school and in life. Students and teachers alike deserve all of the learning tools available to them – whether they want to take an AP class or access a special professional development course. Blackboard is excited to partner with schools and districts to create learning technologies designed to foster engaging learning experiences.

With this partnership in mind, Blackboard and Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit group, recently announced the release of Learning in the 21st Century: A National Report of Online Learning. The Blackboard-commissioned report was unveiled at the National School Boards Association annual T+L conference in October.

This 11-page report examines the views of online learning provided by more than 250,000 students, teachers and parents (across more than 3,000 schools nationwide) in response to the 2006 Project Tomorrow–NetDay Speak Up online surveys. The report underscores the importance and value which online learning plays in increasing student and teacher achievement. To quote from the executive summary:

Technology and online communications are dominant forces in students’ lives. Students go online to find answers to their questions, communicate with friends and family, play games and listen to music. As computing and networking technologies have proliferated through schools and communities, educators increasingly incorporate online tools and resources into their curriculum, even replacing traditional classroom interactions with "virtual" courses that take place entirely online.

Key findings from the report include:

• 47% of surveyed students in grades 9–12 and 32 percent of students in grades 6–8 would pursue online learning to secure courses not offered at school
• One in five student respondents in grades 6–12 have taken an online or distance learning course at school or on their own, and one in three students selected online classes as a component of their ideal school
• 77% of teachers believe that technology makes a difference in learning and 28 percent would like to see online courses offered as an alternative in their district
• 42% of parents believe that online classes are a good investment to improve student achievement and to track their child’s progress.

Learning in the 21st Century also includes in-depth profiles of six school districts that effectively leverage a variety of online learning methodologies in order to:

• Help students manage the challenges associated with graduation requirements and tight schedules
• Share more opportunities for advanced placement courses while providing access to highly qualified teachers
• Offer professional development and support peer-to-peer learning for teachers

Breakfast in Nashville

The Blackboard K-12 team hosted two special breakfasts at NSBA T+L to present the report’s findings and foster a discussion around online learning. The events exceeded our initial expectations and we were fortunate to have 110 attendees join us for a great meal and lively conversation. We were pleased to have the opportunity to present results to a full room of educators: from superintendents to teachers to school board members – all of whom shared an interest in online learning in our schools and districts.

Dr. Sheryl Abshire (Calcasieu Parish, LA), Kathy Rains (Madison City Public Schools, AL) and Shawn Morris (Wichita Public Schools, KS) shared their experiences about implementing online learning in their school districts. As highlighted in the report interviews, these panelists illustrated how online learning varies by school and/or district, and is often used to meet a local need. Here are a few examples:

• Calcasieu Parish Schools wanted to resolve the problem of removing teachers from the classroom for ongoing professional development. Today, the district provides both online, embedded professional program and student courses.
• Madison City Schools implemented distance learning labs six years ago in middle schools which created a foundation for the district to subsequently take part in a statewide program called Alabama Connecting Classroom Educators Students Statewide (ACCESS).
• Wichita Public Schools realized homeschooled students in their region would drop in and out of public school, and there was a need to provide parents with rigorous, standards-aligned lessons. Today, K–8 students and parents use the online curriculum at home, and students in grades 9–12 work with teachers online to complete their high school requirements.

I encourage you to continue to join our panelists in the national dialog about online learning in K-12 education. To hear more about how these school districts are implementing online learning; you can download the event's podcast.

I also invite you to download a free copy of the Learning in the 21st Century report at www.Blackboard.com/K12/OnlineLearningReport.