Virtual Classrooms

Carlisle Area School District is seeking state approval for a districtwide flexible instructional day program starting this fall that would give them options for dealing with snow days or other building closures.

In talking to students at The Dalton Academy, administrators found many liked the idea of four in-person learning days and one virtual day per week, but the idea of holding classes later in the day was less popular.

The Connecticut institution's Digital Innovation Hub for Educational Excellence will be virtual with an in-person component, offering students a chance to reskill in fields such as cybersecurity or behavioral health.

After a survey showed a clear preference among graduate students of the education program to have their classes online, the Maryland institution has decided to keep that program virtual on a permanent basis.

While most students are back in classrooms, virtual instruction is here to stay as a facet of education nationwide, and teachers from around the country have professional advice for making the most of it.

Universities are looking to expand courses hosting asynchronous and synchronous lectures both online and in person to meet student demands for flexible schedules in a post-pandemic landscape.

Teachers had little to no training when schools across the state made the emergency switch to remote instruction during COVID-19, and what followed was learning loss and problems with student behavior and mental health.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office says virtual schools pose an "increased risk" to federal money that funds them, because they're far less monitored and publicly accountable than public schools.

Even school districts that had technology in place to accommodate remote learning before the pandemic saw lower scores than in previous years, although they tested above the state average in many subjects.

School districts in Northern Indiana are using online or blended learning options, learning management systems, smaller class sizes, new curriculum maps and targeted interventions to make up for recent learning loss.

A Washington, D.C., nonprofit is promoting a new approach to K-12 that replaces the old “factory model,” one-size-fits-all schooling with prerecorded lectures, small-group lessons and mastery-based testing.

The Chicago-based ed tech company is expanding its database of how-to guides, white papers, videos and other multimedia resources to help college and university faculty build hybrid and online courses.

Money from the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund will go toward laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hot spots, modems, routers and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff and library patrons.

Distance learning grants from the United States Department of Agriculture will expand educational opportunities for middle and high school students in rural areas to take college-level courses.

A preliminary report from the state Department of Public Instruction found negative impacts from the pandemic for all students, for all grades, for almost every subject, with in-person lessons yielding better results.

The latest student achievement data from the Maryland State Department of Education showed learning loss at all levels, with proficiency below 50 percent in most cases and especially low in math and science.

Technology is helping to meet students' needs while students help their teachers learn technology at Lawrence County Signature School in Alabama, which has persuaded some kids to rejoin the public school system.

The SHLB Coalition, American Library Association, Consortium for School Networking and State Educational Technology Directors Association successfully lobbied for a deadline extension to use emergency funds through June 2023.