The Problem
For years, the same common challenges have escaped solutions in even the best public schools: classes move too slowly for some students but too quickly for others; course offerings in foreign language or Advanced Placement are very limited in small and rural schools; and, especially in elementary schools, the school day leaves too little time for lengthy instruction in core subject areas.

There is a new way to solve some of the oldest challenges that teachers and students face. Online learning technology provides an affordable way for students to do diverse coursework that allows them to spend more time on task, learning at their own pace.

The Solution
When online learning becomes a priority at the school, district or state level, innovative solutions to old problems begin to emerge.

Customized learning: Today, many schools across the country are creating a learning experience that is customized to each student’s needs, using self-paced interactive software coupled with tutoring support from teachers and school staff. Only one such school in Illinois uses this approach full-time: the 600-student Chicago Virtual Charter School.

Diverse course offerings in every school: Leading states such as Florida have developed statewide online learning initiatives so that students and educators, especially those in rural areas, can access dozens of courses that otherwise would have been unavailable at their school. Today, nearly 100,000 students in Florida are enrolled in the state-run Florida Virtual School, on average taking two courses per year.

Expanded school day: Schools such as Rocketship Mosaic Elementary in California are using online learning sessions to expand the school day by adding a “second shift” of instruction that complements five hours of classroom instruction. This is an affordable and sustainable way to get at-risk students the extra learning time they need. Rocketship spends $3,000 less per pupil than the average Illinois elementary school.

Why This Works
In every instance in which online learning has flourished and improved student learning, it has been where educators have made a strategic decision to embrace new technology and to implement it in earnest.

Successful organizations set specific goals, met by following clearly stated principles. To this end, former governors Bob Wise of West Virginia and Jeb Bush of Florida in 2010 formed the Digital Learning Council. The Illinois Policy Institute’s longtime director of education policy, Collin Hitt, served on the council, whose final recommendations were titled “10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning.”

The Elements, if adopted and followed, can remake education at the school, district and even state level in Illinois. The Elements are grouped into three areas of focus: Students (#1-4), Providers (#5-8), and Government (#9-10).

1. Student eligibility: All students are digital learners.
2. Student access: All students have access to high quality digital content and online courses.
3. Personalized learning: All students can customize their education using digital content through an approved provider.
4. Advancement: Students progress based on demonstrated competency.
5. Content: Digital content, instructional materials and online and blended learning courses are high quality.
6. Instruction: Digital instruction and teachers are high quality.
7. Providers: All students have access to multiple high quality providers.
8. Assessment and accountability: Student learning is the metric for evaluating the quality of content and instruction.
9. Funding: Funding creates incentives for performance, options and innovation.
10. Delivery: Infrastructure supports digital learning.