To the Editor:
Thank you for the special report covering online learning in your April 28, 2010, issue (“E-Learning 2010: Assessing the Agenda for Change”). It is an accessible and valuable resource that many districts will find useful as they explore online learning’s benefits.
In a long series of articles that cover many detailed issues, there are likely to be some nuances of complexity that are not fully captured. I’d like to clarify two quotes attributed to me regarding funding.
First, while I fully agree that funding is a key issue in online learning, I don’t believe I said that “online learning will remain limited to statewide levels” (“E-Learning Hits Barriers to Expansion”). We are already seeing plenty of districts creating and implementing online-learning options for their students, and we anticipate that in the coming years we’ll see growth in both district-level programs and state-level programs.
Second, my comment that states have not figured out a scalable funding model was in an overall discussion of state virtual schools (“Lack of Sustainable Funding a Challenge for Online Ed.”). The funding model applied to online charter schools and other full-time online schools is scaleable in the 25 or so states that allow these types of schools.
John Watson
Founder
Evergreen Education Group
Evergreen, Colo.
