Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 8

Internet Learning Volume 4 Number 2 - Fall 2015
Meeting the Holistic Needs of K-12 Online
Learners: Designing Schools for the Future
Sarah Bryans-Bongey A
Introduction
According to the annual report,
Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital
Learning (Watson, Pape, Murin,
Gemin, & Vashaw, 2014), the total number
of K-12 students attending online school
programs continues to climb. In 2013-2014,
student enrollment in K-12 online programs
increased by 6.2%. As of 2014, 30 U.S. states
had fully online K-12 schools (Watson
et al., 2014). Many online schools and
programs provide educational programs to
students at all levels of K-12 education. In
the Keeping Pace report’s section “National
Snapshot of Online Learning Activity,”
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, and
Virginia have established online learning
requirements for grades 9-12 students,
and a large majority of the state programs
with fully online programs also offer
programming for students in elementary
and/or middle school grades (Watson, et al,
2014).
This information is impressive, and
the sheer growth in numbers might imply
an unequivocal success story relating to
the overall increase in student enrollments
in K-12 online teaching and learning.
However, despite the fact that new students
come into online programs in rapidly
increasing numbers, existing students are
simultaneously switching from one online
program to another, or they may be leaving
the online program universe altogether.
In higher education, this phenomenon is
called “swirling” (Layne, Boston, and Ice,
2013).
Review of the Literature
As is the case with online programs
in higher education, the National Education
Policy Center (Miron & Urschel, 2012)
observed this high rate of attrition in its
study of the nation’s largest K-12 online
school provider, and urged continued
and “careful study of various aspects of
full-time virtual schools,” with the goal
being “to help ensure that full-time virtual
schools can better serve students and the
public as a whole” (para. 2). More research
A
Sarah Bryans-Bongey, Ed.D. is Assistant Professor of Education, and coordinator of the educational technology
endorsement at Nevada State College (NSC). Dr. Bryans-Bongey’s research interests include web-enhanced,
blended, and online learning, educational technology integration, Universal Design for Learning
(UDL), and student engagement. Her research on UDL and teaching with technology has led to various publications
and presentations. She is co-editor of Online Teaching in K-12: Models, Methods, and Best Practices
for Teachers and Administrators (Information Today, Inc.: in press).
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