The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning in America Heather C. Staker Senior Research Fellow

The best companies

Moving from integrated, expensive to modular, affordable Mainframe computer Minicomputer Personal computer Handheld $2,000,000 $200,000 $2,000 $200 45% on $250,000 or 65% on $500,000?

The disruptive innovation pattern appears in every sector state universities community colleges online colleges Higher Education Automobiles FordToyotaChery Hyundai Retail department stores Wal-Mart Amazon.com Airlines DeltaSouthwest Air Taxis

Innosight Institute applies disruptive innovation theories to problems in the social sector

Prime examples of nonconsumption 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

Online learning is gaining adoption in line with a disruption Follows the telltale “S-curve” pattern % new 50% of high school courses online by 2019

39 states have online learning initiative 30 states have supplemental state-led programs Districts increasingly getting into the game Drop-out recovery Credit-recovery Homeschoolers Public schools are getting in on the transformation

Online learning is increasingly a blended phenomenon 90% need a physical school

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

Traditional school Tech-rich school Electronic white board with online curriculum to lecture Online textbooks 1:1 laptops/devices in and of themselves Virtual school Blended learning is not...

Emerging menu of possibilities Online-option schools Blended schools Transitional virtual schools

Emerging menu of possibilities Self-blend model Online-lab model Online-option schools Blended schools Transitional virtual schools

Emerging menu of possibilities Classroom- rotation model Off-site-rotation model Flex model Online-option schools Blended schools Transitional virtual schools

Teacher-led Instruction (adapted based on data from Online Instruction) Collaborative standards- driven activities & stations Individualized Online Instruction Classroom-Rotation Model Source: Education Elements

Emerging menu of possibilities Online-option schools Blended schools Transitional virtual schools

EPGY Online High SchoolAlbuquerque eCADEMY

How will online and blended learning affect Arizona? Opportunities and risk

More time for teachers and guided instruction T T T Learning Lab Direct Instruction Independent Study 15:1 60:1 P 90 students 3 Teachers (T) 1 Paraprofessional (P) Source: Alex Hernandez, Charter School Growth Fund Intervention Seminar 5:1 12:1

Career growth for teachers and HR flexibility Teacher Rigor FacultyRelationship FacultyRelevance Faculty Discipline Faculty

Self-paced, one-on-one learning for students

Limitless content, globally accessible 2.2 billion children in the world 1.9 live in developing countries Almost half live in poverty Source: UNICEF

New cost options and flexibility 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 Source: Parthenon Group

Challenges and risks Seat time Teacher certifications Geographic restrictions Little provision for broadband/wireless Old funding models Little autonomy In general, focus on inputs instead of outcomes Old policies with unintended legacies “Race to the Bottom” in terms of quality Sloppy systems and training Poor purchasing strategies Cutting costs above all else Lack of accountability Lack of data Inability to act based on data Poor interoperability among systems New technology crammed into old teaching models Antiquated professional development

Policy priorities  Tie funding to outcomes. Prevent the cost cutting “race-to-the-bottom” trap  Act on Digital Learning Now! recommendations  Create uncapped autonomous zones for innovation  Eliminate input-based rules (ratios, certifications, procedures, etc.)  Focus on outputs (the what), not inputs (the how)

Why wait? 1.Start with areas of nonconsumption 2.Move to mastery-based models 3.Expand autonomy as much as possible, but with accountability 4.Experiment with time, space, and staffing 5.Learn from the trailblazers