The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning in America Heather C. Staker Senior Research Fellow Innosight Institute To dial in on your phone: Call: Access code:

Innovation Theory

Copyright Clayton M. Christensen Sustaining and Disruptive Innovations Performance Time Performance that customers can utilize or absorb Pace of Technological Progress Sustaining innovations Incumbents nearly always win

Copyright Clayton M. Christensen Disruptive Innovations create asymmetric competition Non-consumers or Non- consuming occasions Different measure Of Performance Time Disruptive Innovations: Competing against non-consumption Performance Time Sustaining innovations Incumbents nearly always win 60% on $500,000 45% on $250,000 40% on $2,000 20% Performance that customers can utilize or absorb Entrants nearly always win Pace of performance improvement

Copyright Clayton M. Christensen Disruption in business models has been the dominant mechanism for making things more affordable and accessible Today Toyota Wal-Mart Dell Southwest Airlines Fidelity Canon Microsoft Oracle Cingular Community colleges Apple iPod Yesterday Ford Dept. Stores Digital Eqpt. Delta JP Morgan Xerox IBM Cullinet AT&T State universities Sony DiskMan

Disruption of Toyota Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Copyright Clayton M. Christensen Disruption in business models has been the dominant mechanism for making things more affordable and accessible Today Toyota Wal-Mart Dell Southwest Airlines Fidelity Canon Microsoft Oracle Cingular Community colleges Apple iPod Yesterday Ford Dept. Stores Digital Eqpt. Delta JP Morgan Xerox IBM Cullinet AT&T State universities Sony DiskMan Tomorrow Chery Internet retail RIM Blackberry Air taxis ETFs Zink Linux Salesforce.com Skype Online universities Cell Phones

Copyright Clayton M. Christensen When they “cram” computers into the traditional model, schools sustain the traditional system Non-consumers or Non- consuming occasions Different measure Of Performance Time Performance Time Core curriculum Path taken by most schools, foundations and education software companies

Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc. Disruptions begin in areas of non-consumption Looming budget cuts and teacher shortages are an opportunity, not a threat Credit recovery Drop outs AP/advanced courses Scheduling conflicts Home-schooled and homebound students Small, rural, urban schools Unit recovery Disaster preparedness Tutoring Professional development Pre-K After school In the home Incarcerated youth In-school suspension School bus commute Summer school Teacher absenteeism

Copyright Clayton M. Christensen Online learning gaining adoption Enrollments up from 45,000 in 2000 to 1,000,000 in % of high school students took online course in 2009 Ambient Insight projects 10.5M students taking online courses by 2014

Much of online learning to take place through blending Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Definition of blended learning Any time a student learns in part in a supervised brick-and- mortar place away from home At least in part through online delivery, with some element of student control over time, place, path and/or pace and = Blended learning Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

6 Models of blended learning F2F Driver Rotation Flex Online Lab Online Driver Self Blend Supervised brick and mortar Some potential for flexibility Most potential for remote LOCATION Face-to-faceMix of bothOnline delivery TYPE OF INSTRUCTION STUDENT INDEPENDENCE LowMediumHigh EXTRACURRICULARS AND SOCIALIZING Traditional Traditional plus online options Varies from both options to neither option Dimensions Fewer traditional elements More traditional elements Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Model #1: Face-to-Face Driver Face-to-face teachers deliver most of the curricula They use online resources to supplement or remediate Often in the back of the classroom or a lab Case Study: High Tech High Very skeptical about online for writing Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Model #2: Rotation For each course, students rotate on a fixed schedule between online and f2f “In between” Sometimes online part is remote Often same teacher for online and f2f Case Study: Carpe Diem Collegiate High School Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Model #3: Flex Online platform delivers most curricula F2F teachers provide flexible, as-needed support Individual tutoring, small group discussion Case Study: Advance Path Academics Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Model #4: Online Lab Online platform delivers entire course, but in brick-and-mortar lab or classroom Usually online teachers Paraprofessionals supervise Case Study: Miami-Dade County Public Schools -7,000 students -9,000 half-credit courses Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Model #5: Self-Blend Individual student takes online classes a la carte The online learning is remote The traditional learning is brick-and-mortar Case Study: Alison Johnson At school: AP English Calculus Spanish 3 Chemistry Drill team At home: AP Computer Science Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.

Model #6: Online Driver Online platform and teacher deliver all curricula Students work mostly remotely F2F check-ins are optional or required Case Study: Albuquerque eCADEMY Alternative School Instruction Administration and Operations School Services Student Supports Central Instruction Administration and Operations School Services Student Supports Central $10,000 Spend per pupil Personnel efficiencies Textbook savings Facilities savings School services savings Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.Source: Parthenon Group

Priorities to capture the potential State and Federal Policymakers Superintendents and Principals  Act on Digital Learning Now! recommendations  Create uncapped autonomous zones for innovation  Eliminate input-based rules (ratios, certifications, procedures, etc.)  Focus on outputs. Tie funding and scaling to higher accountability around outcomes  Consider strengths and weaknesses of each blended- learning model  To benefit from scaling, must have access to high-quality, affordable content that is adaptive to each student  Be prepared to throw out old notions of teacher roles, facility set-up, schedules, grades, and the rest  Demand accountability and funding around results, not inputs Copyright Innosight Institute, Inc.