Giving Compass' Take:

• As the Connections Academy-supported virtual public schools reaches its 16th anniversary, educators are looking at the trajectory of virtual schools and are making predictions about how they will evolve. 

• One of the predictions is the end of linearity. No lessons will be taught in linear form, but instead, flow with the learning paths of the student through a variety of experiences. What challenges might arise due to the differences between non-linear education styles and traditional instruction? 

• Read about the future of education in 2018. 

The first Connections Academy-supported virtual public schools are celebrating their 16th anniversaries. Tens of thousands of students have graduated from what is now a network of 30-plus schools across the country and around the world, and more than a few alumni are back as teachers and parents.

As we mark Founder’s Day this October, remembering pioneering CEO Barbara Dreyer and the ragtag crew that got all of this started, the moment seems apt to reflect on the rhythm and pace of education innovation in this still-new century.

K-12 education technology had been on the rise for more than a decade before online learning emerged in the early 2000s; I was fortunate to be in on that early ferment as a journalist and advocate. Our most passionate discussions back then were about how to integrate computers into the classroom and into teachers’ face-to-face practice.  The advent of the Internet meant that content from afar could be part of the mix, but the focus was on connecting distinct in-person-only places: the classroom, the computer lab, and home, for homework purposes. It took the splash of online higher education to suggest other possibilities.

So how will virtual schools evolve in the next decade? A look at education trends suggests several frontiers worth exploring.

  • The end of linearity: The uni-directional pattern of lessons, units, and courses is being challenged in all kinds of schools by a shift toward personalized and competency-based learning, in which students may master knowledge via a wide variety of experiences in bespoke order.
  • New ways to assess: The linear learning pattern was necessitated by point-in-time, summative assessments.
  • Social-emotional learning: Schools all over America are waking up to the fact that learning is often as much about the heart as the head.

Read the full article about virtual schools by Mickey Revenaugh at Education Dive