Transforming K-12 education: Schools embrace digital learning
Can K-12 teaching and learning evolve to meet the needs of today’s students? At Future of School (FoS), we believe it’s not only possible—it’s imperative. This is the driving force behind our commitment to supporting educators and students who are working toward classroom and school transformation.
This summarizes the second of two associated studies exploring why students select online or blended learning opportunities, and how schools are meeting students’ interests and needs.
Without visiting all or even most of the schools around the country—which wouldn’t be possible without a massive array of resources and significant staff support—FoS gathered information from all types of schools in order to gain a deeper understanding of digital learning at the system level. A research team from the University of Denver conducted phone interviews with school leaders and (where possible), onsite visits as well.
Through this effort, we uncovered extremely creative solutions to diversifying instruction and support through technology—demonstrating a path toward helping all students achieve their greatest potential.
We know why students are choosing digital learning options, including blended and online learning:
We also recognize that systemic change will take time, but we’re seeing promising early results of the shifts already taking place. Overall, FoS scholarship applicants represent traditional brick-and-mortar schools, online schools, blended schools, charter and magnet schools, private schools, and homeschool learning environments (see below).
In the 2019 application year, for the first time, a majority of FoS scholarship applicants (nearly six out of 10) came from traditional brick-and-mortar schools. (In the first years of our scholarship program, most applicants were enrolled in online schools.) Due in part to considerable outreach from FoS, the types of schools represented by applicants has grown to be closer to the mix of schools in the United States, including a broader geographic base (see graphic below). It has afforded us a sharper lens into the motivations behind embracing digital learning at scale, along with how it’s being implemented by educators and school leaders.
Below is a sub-selection of FoS scholars’ high schools representing each type of learning environment. To get more in-depth information on these and many other schools, access our free Impact Report Pioneers in Education.
STAR Prep Academy | Manhattan, CA
A blended school serving 60 high-achieving students in grades 7-12
At STAR Prep, students attend block-scheduled classes Monday through Thursday and use Friday as an open day to explore extracurriculars and internships.
“We’re focused on individualized learning for students who have gifts, and we help to nurture those gifts by giving them a day-to-day schedule that allows them to not only use that gift out in the world but also within our school.”
– Tery Arnold, Director of STAR Prep Academy
University Scholars Program | West Chester, PA
Onsite blended program situated within the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School offering learning opportunities for 260 gifted students in grades 6-12
USP is an ‘onsite blend, where local students come onto campus for core courses two or three days a week. All electives are taken online. For virtual students located farther away, they learn in virtual classrooms (live, synchronous), though some are accessing learning jointly with onsite students in an onsite/blended environment.
“Our maximum class size is 15, so teachers and students really get to know each other. Our students, like Eliana [who was awarded the FoS Scholarship], are awesome and really love to learn, and the teachers are designing instruction just for them.”
– Christopher Stiles, University Scholars Principal
Texas Online Preparatory School (TOPS) | San Antonio, TX
Fully online school offering multiple curriculum options to 3,215 students in grades 3-12
Students engage in synchronous classes each day with teachers for each of their courses. Programmatically, TOPS structures student support around an advisor, who serves as a liaison between the student and their family, the teacher, and the administrative team.
“Advisors know when a student will be absent and will alert their teachers and will tell the administrators when students need more support. We work together as a team—advisor, teachers, administrators, and the student and their family—to figure out what will be the best support, including anything related to an IEP and/or a 504 plan. We employ special education teachers, as well as two social workers who provide support groups for students, such as new mothers, LGBTQ+ students, and more.”
– Charles Forrest Smith, TOPS’s Head of School
Melba High School | Melba, ID
Traditional public high school serving 315 students in grades 9-12
Upon entry into MHS, each student meets with their counselor and the school’s principal to design a personalized learning pathway.
“One of the things we try to do for all our students is, if there’s something that we don’t offer, we figure out where we can get it from. For instance, in the case of Payton [who was awarded the FoS Scholarship], for Calculus 2, we set her up with an online class from the state virtual school and a tutor at Boise State University.”
– Dr. Andy Grover, Melba School District’s Superintendent
Iowa BIG | Cedar Rapids, IA
A high school program offering core and elective learning opportunities to 250 students in grades 9-12 in four partnering school districts
Iowa BIG connects students with businesses, non-profits, and government agencies to work on authentic projects that have meaningful impact in their communities
“We’re founded on three ideas: passions, projects, and community. Our students’ passions are the vehicle for learning through authentic projects that have real outcomes, clients, and impact; we use our community to build partnerships with businesses, non-profits, and government agencies, allowing us to be highly personalized to what the students care about… Our biggest joy and our biggest struggle is helping students confront their newfound freedom.”
– Trace Pickering, Iowa BIG’s Executive Director
North Carolina Cyber Academy | Winston Salem, NC
Public online charter school serving 2,420 students in grades K-12
In the school’s ‘hybrid online approach,’ students have the option to choose between synchronous and asynchronous classes—live online learning sessions where NCCA state-certified teachers and students gather for whole group instruction and engage with each other. These sessions are recorded for those students who need to access content asynchronously.
“One of our driving attractions for students to come to us is that flexibility in their demanding schedule. We accommodate those scheduling challenges, like sports practice, medical situations, etc., while helping to maintain their academic life. Maybe a student learns better in the morning or at night or on the weekend. We offer that flexibility so that they can work around other commitments and work at a pace that is conducive to them. Additionally, if students have already mastered a concept, they don’t have to re-learn it. They can just move onto the next one.”
– Nathan Currie, Superintendent of NCCA
Get the full report
Pioneers in Education delves into how schools are meeting the needs of students related to both developing, and integrating, blended and online learning programs. All school types are represented, providing a one-of-a-kind lens into the creative ways in which supply is being expanded to meet the rise in collective demand.