General Information

Trends & Issues

Virtual Schools: Status and Trends

To assist in answering questions about online schools, this study by Dr. Tom Clark of TA Consulting includes results of the first national online survey of a peer group of virtual schools. A product of this study was a comprehensive listing of online school efforts nationwide. Users can post suggestions for new sites at dlrn.org/virtual.html.

The Internet Equity and Education Act

On August 1, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed H.R. 1992, The Internet Equity and Education Act, by a vote of 31-10. The bill would modify provisions in Title IV of the Higher Education Act, which were included in the Act in 1992 to reign in abusive educational practices associated with correspondence and for-profit schools, in order to encourage technology-based education. Specifically, H.R. 1992 would:

Eliminate the 12-hour rule, which requires non-traditional academic programs to provide at least 12 hours of "regularly scheduled instruction, examinations, or preparation for examination" per week of instructional time for full-time students.

Eliminate the 50% requirement, which requires Title-IV eligible institutions to offer at least 50 percent of their instruction in a classroom-based environment.
Relax the restrictions on incentive compensation, a provision that prohibits universities and colleges paying third parties based on enrollment success, including university use of for-profit Web portal services to provide online application processing.

Mentoring at a Distance

Be sure to check out a new addition to our website: An article entitled "Mentoring at a Distance: Strategies for Success" by Dr. Lois J. Zachary. In this article, Dr. Zachary provides strategies to bridge the physical distance in a mentoring relationship that is not based on the typical face-to-face prototype. Find out how to use technology to foster distance mentor/mentee relationships!

The Web-based Education Commission has released its report,
"The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice"
The Web-based Education Commission was established by Congress to develop specific policy recommendations geared toward maximizing the educational promise of the Internet for pre-K, elementary, middle, secondary, and postsecondary education learners. Their goal is to establish a "policy roadmap" that will help education and policy officials at the local, state, and national levels better address the critical digital age challenges brought about by the Internet and other emerging technologies. The report is available in PDF, text and hardcopy format from their website.

Streaming Media Technology in Education

According to Robert Dugan, a computer network professional involved in providing internet applications to educators, "One of the critical areas of technology ideally suited for distance learning is the use of streaming technology not only to deliver lessons, which many educational institutions and organizations have been doing for some time, but also to receive feedback from their student population that enhances the learning cycle and creates an enriched environment for both. Streaming media technology enables the real time or on demand distribution of audio, video and multimedia on the Internet and is the simultaneous transfer of digital media (video, voice and data) so that it is received as a continuous real-time stream. Web sites don’t offer just static content any more, they offer a wide range of interactive functions, from searching, user profiling, testing, polling, discussion boards, etc. The term “webcast” is fast becoming commonplace among educational technologists." MORE...

Internet2

Led by over 180 US universities working with industry and government, Internet2 is developing and deploying advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 recreates the partnership of academia, industry and government that helped foster today's Internet in its infancy. For more information about Internet2, please see: http://www.internet2.edu.

Funding Sources and Methods for K-12 Distance Education
The majority of the states are using what has become traditional funding for distance learning. This includes general education funds, lottery generated funds (which in most cases does not increase the educational funding but relieves the state funds by the amount that the lottery adds)e-rate funds, Challenge grants, State Challenge grants, Star Schools. A limited group relies heavily on corporate and foundation donations. For information on the innovative funding for distance learning at the state level, please see the report Funding Sources and Methods for K-12 Distance Education in our library.

Trends & Issues Archive