Speeding without looking

The high speed proliferation of online learning sometimes seems like we're driving 100 mph...with our eyes closed.

Virtual education is in a period of rapid growth, as school districts, for-profit providers, and nonprofit start-ups all move into the online learning world... But without rigorous oversight, a thousand flowers blooming will also yield a lot of weeds.

At present, virtual education lacks a firm understanding of what high performance looks like.

Virtual public education can be delivered by all types of providers, including charter schools, for-profit companies, universities, state entities, and school districts... Such diversity brings challenges.

[V]irtual education lacks a commonly accepted set of quality outcome measures. Quality can't be defined by the design of a school or by inputs alone; instead, it must focus primarily on outcomes.

[This] complexity can't be an excuse for inaction. Unless providers rise to this task, outside groups, whether supporters or opponents, will define success and the lack of it for them.

And now, for the rest of the story...