According to an August article in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado is just one of many states that are embracing online learning at a growing rate. Citing a recent report from the Colorado Department of Education that said that 12,000 Colorado students — about 1.5 percent of all of Colorado's K-12 students — were enrolled in state-certified online programs during the last school year, the article states:

Online programs are being fueled by improvements in technology and Internet speed that allow for such offerings as live online classes and Internet discussions. But the big draw is the flexibility that such programs offer students — not only with daily schedules but also with course offerings, said Pamela Ice, director of online learning for CDE.

Online education works for teen moms who are juggling child care, work and school, as well as for academic superstars who want to move at a quicker pace than their peers. It lets student athletes keep up with school work amid hectic training schedules, and those from small, rural districts take classes not offered at their school.

"There's as many reasons why as there are families who choose it," Ice said.

Data on the surge of interest in online learning is available from the Sloan Consortium, a nonprofit group dedicated to improving education. In K–12 Online Learning: A 2008 Follow-up of the Survey of U.S. School District Administrators they report that:

• Three quarters of the public school districts that responded to their survey are offering online or blended courses. This represents an increase of approximately 10% since 2005-2006.


• 66% of school districts with students enrolled in online or blended courses anticipate their online enrollments will grow.


• The overall number of K-12 students engaged in online courses in 2007-2008, was estimated at 1,030,000, representing a 47% increase since 2005-2006.

But what are the students learning? A May, 2009, report on online education conducted by SRI International for the Department of Education has concluded that, "On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction."

This meta research looked at 99 studies that were comparisons of online and classroom productivity. While the SRI researchers noted a shortage of rigorous research studies for the K-12 market, the meta-analysis that looked at both K-12 and post-secondary implementations showed promising results for anybody interested in online learning. Most notably the researchers concluded that:

• Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.


• Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction.


• Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning.


• Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection.

Sources:

U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning

Colorado Springs Gazette, Public online schools surge in popularity by Sue McMillan

Sloane Consortium, K–12 Online Learning: A 2008 Follow-up of the Survey of U.S. School District Administrators