More than half of U.S. states now operate online-learning initiatives for K-12 students, an increase over the 15 states that did so just two years ago, according to a new survey.
Most of the 26 states that have online programs have seen significant growth in enrollments in recent years, with a dozen of them reporting jumps of 25 percent or more since 2007.
The survey was conducted by the Center for Digital Education, a market-research firm in Folsom, Calif., with input from the Vienna, Va.-based International Association for K-12 Online Learning. It was underwritten by Blackboard Inc., a provider of a popular online-learning management system.
The survey also finds that while funding and other issues are still roadblocks to the creation or expansion of such programs in some states, some are looking at ways to expand their offerings, including K-20 partnerships spanning different levels of education and licensure reciprocity to allow teachers to work in other state programs.
