eLearning in EdWeek

Constance Gustke's article in Education Week (5/3/2010) addresses the issues holding back efforts to promote online schools and courses in the United States. In "E-Learning Hits Barriers to Expansion: A national e-learning framework would require lifting state policy restrictions now in place", Gustke asserts: "The trick is navigating a U.S. school system diced into some 15,000 districts and 50 states, characterized by distinctive academic requirements and varying policy barriers. The resulting silo effect slows down the expansion of online learning across state borders, globally, and even outside local districts, according to experts."

This is so true in California and a key reason for our initiative among districts throughout the State. The rest of the world is not waiting for us to "get out act together". California continues to lose competitive ground as we work to find our own separate ways. While much of the technologies that fuel the educational power inherent in the Internet were born in California, we continue to struggle with taking full advantage of them in our schools.