Preparing Teachers for Success in K-12 Online and Blended Contexts Research From the Field

Background Growth of K-12 Online Education Every state offers some form of online learning There are 30 states that offer fully-online schools Four states have graduation requirement (Watson, Murin, Vashaw, Gemin, & Rapp, 2013) Disconnect between training and teaching Few opportunities in university-based education programs Need for empirical validation of online teaching methods Teachers entering online classrooms unprepared (Kennedy et al., 2013, Kennedy & Archambault, 2012)

Purpose of Study Define demographicsDetermine extent of trainingCompare findings

Importance of Research Most studies focus on the online student or quality of online program (Rice, 2006) Few studies focus on the K-12 online teacher (Archambault, 2011) Growing demand for teachers prepared in this area

Research Questions What are the current demographic characteristics of K-12 online teachers in the United States and how do they compare to six years ago? How and to what extent have current K-12 online teachers prepared for this form of teaching?

Methodology Descriptive research design: Web-based survey 33 closed and 4 open form questions 325 respondents Participants: iNACOL members FLVS teachers Other contacts

Number of Responses Per State

Demographics Comparisons between: General U.S. Population (2013) U.S. Census (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013) All K-12 Teachers (2013) NCES Study (Goldring, Gray, & Bitterman, 2013) K-12 Online Teachers (2008) Archambault Study (Archambault, 2008) K-12 Online Teachers (2014) Larson Study (Larson, 2014)

Personal Demographics Similar personal characteristics: Female Non-Hispanic, White Average age of 43 years

Education Population Masters Degree Beyond Masters General U.S. Population (2013)8%3% All K-12 Teachers (2013) NCES Study46%9% K-12 Online Teachers (2008) Archambault Study62%16% K-12 Online Teachers (2014) Larson Study72%36%

Let’s Compare... Typical Online Class of Respondents: ➔ 56% teach only HS ➔ Largest group teach only one class ➔ Avg. students: 100 Typical Traditional Class: ➔ Looking at those teaching only HS... ➔ Usually 5-6 classes ➔ Avg. students: 18/class Teaching Assignment

Teaching Experience Traditional (2013) Online (2008) Online (2014) Average Total Years of Teaching 14 years 15 years Taught more than 4 years88%90%95% Taught less than 4 years12%10%5%

First Year Teachers 13% reported being first-year teachers Similar to Dawley et al. (2010) findings (12%) Possible Face-to-Face experience requirement

Six Year Comparison Similarities 2008 & 2014 public virtual schools Asynchronous format All of classes taught online

Teaching Fields Most common fields: Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics Less focus on LA/reading: 17% (2008) 11.8% (2014) More focus on STEM: 29% (2008) 42% (2014)

Authorship Same top 3 primary authors: Online content providers Curriculum specialists Online teachers themselves Materials created by someone else: 62% (2008) 76% (2014) Involved in creation of materials: 38% (2008) 24% (2014)

Preparation of K-12 Online Teachers Current findings support findings from prior studies: Few pre-service opportunities Most training occurs on the job 14% received NO training at all

Implications Create training based on standards Develop universal, research-based standards Define empirically-based skills

Limitations of Study Selection bias with participantsGeneralizing resultsSelf-report bias with surveyEliminate leading questionsClarify ambiguity

Areas for Future Research Skills Studies Differences between skills required for F2F and online Creating/modifying/individualizing lessons for online delivery Communicating/managing students effectively at a distance Best practices for structure/organization of an online classroom with many asynchronous students Standardization Studies Define what constitutes effective online teaching Define optimal training program

Conclusion Growth of K-12 online education Demand for well-trained K-12 online teachers Defined K-12 teacher demographics and preparation levels Develop effective K-12 online teacher training

References Archambault, L. M. (2008). The characteristics, knowledge, and preparation levels of K-12 online distance educators in the United States (Doctoral dissertation). University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada. Archambault, L. (2011). The practitioner’s perspective on teacher education: preparing for the K-12 online classroom. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 19(1), Barbour, M.K. (2012). Training teachers for a virtual school system: A call to action. In D. Polly, C. Mims, & K. Persichitte (Eds.), Developing Technology-Rich Teacher Education Programs: Key Issues (pp. 499 – 517). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Dawley, L., Rice, K., & Hinks, G. (2010). Going virtual 2010! The status of professional development and unique needs of K-12 online teachers. Retrieved from Goldring, R., Gray, L., & Bitterman, A. (2013). Characteristics of public and private elementary and secondary school teachers in the United States: Results from the 2011–12 schools and staffing survey. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

References, cont. Kennedy, K., & Archambault, L.M. (2012). Offering pre-service teachers field experiences in Kk-12 online learning: A national survey of teacher education programs. Journal of Teacher Education, 63(3): Kennedy, K., Cavanaugh, C., & Dawson, K. (2013). Preservice teachers’ experience in a virtual school. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(1), Larson, J. S. (2014). Demographics and Preparation Levels of K-12 Online Teachers (Doctoral dissertation). Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. Rice, K. L. (2006). A comprehensive look at distance education in the K-12 context. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(4), Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) (2006). Standards for Quality Online Teaching. Retrieved from United States Census Bureau (2013). Educational attainment in the United States: 2013-detailed tables. Retrieved from Watson, J., Murin, A., Vashaw, L., Gemin, B., & Rapp, C. (2013). Keeping pace with K-12 online & blended learning: An annual review of policy and practice. Evergreen CO: Evergreen Education Group.