Innosight Institute's seminal report, "The Rise of Blended Learning," outlines several emerging school models that combine the best of onsite and online learning. Besides students taking online courses when possible, there are basically two emerging school models:

1. Rotation: Students spend 20 to 50 percent of...

The first head of the Institute of Education Sciences, Russ Whitehurst set a gold standard for research particularly around the use of randomized controlled trials (RCT). There is obvious benefit to setting a high bar for evidence but we often need better evidence faster and cheaper than is possible through...

My friend Andy Rotherham is old school -- and that goes for many edreformers. They want the best version of old school for every student: talented teachers, high expectations, quality instruction, curriculum alignment, strong accountability, and enough standardized tests to verify all of the above.

They support old school...

This morning three districts announced that they were going 1:1 next year with Chromebooks, the full sized web appliance from Google. The districts include Council Bluffs, Iowa; Leyden, Illinois; and Richland Two, South Carolina. Representatives from the districts joined Google officials in making the announcement this morning at FETC, the...

Question: What do algebra and online learning have in common?

Answer: Most kids would not experience either if not required.

Graduation requirements translate society's expectations to the young. It's our collective best guess at the knowledge and skills they will need to participate in the society they will...

An unintended consequence of the intense focus on English and math standards and assessments in the NCLB decade is that civics took a back seat.

"We believe it is a great mistake to push civics to the sideline in schools," says former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. "Unfortunately, a staggering number...

Blended learning can save some money; online learning can save a lot. That's the conclusion of a working paper -- The Cost of Online Learning--from Fordham's Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning series. A talented team from Parthenon lead by Tammy Battaglino wrote the report. They estimate "that...

I want kids to write a lot every day. But, many high school classes only require three writing assignments in a semester. With a big class load, it's extremely time consuming for a teacher to grade hundreds of paper each week.

State tests don't typically demand much writing because...

MIND Research Institute, an southern California nonprofit, developed an innovative way to teach math -- and it works. Trials involving almost 60,000 students indicate that it typically doubles math gains.

They use visual games that all involve moving a penguin named Jiji across the screen. It's all done without a...

Digital learning will benefit all students -- particularly students from low-income families where education leaders are proactive. In light of the 'OER exacerbates the gap' flap this week, I thought it would be worth expanding on the ways in which EdTech, blended learning, and open education resources (OER)...

In November 2010, in his most important speech, Arne Duncan called for more productivity during this 'new normal' period of lower revenue. As our second 'new normal' year draws to a close, the challenges are numerous but the inflection is clear -- the shift to personal digital learning is on...

The New York Times ran a tabloid-style hit piece on K12, the online learning provider. They apparently didn't speak to many parents that appreciate full time virtual schools as an option. Follow are excerpts of 10 notes I received from parents this week with a different story.

Jose and DeShawn are building a robot in STEM lab. Their Problem Solving Block includes a customized playlist of 10-minute puzzles, challenges, and ST Math -- a visual and game-based approach to math. Every third day their playlist recycles through concepts they've already mastered to keep the skills fresh.

I visited Wireless Generation, a leading education technology company, in Brooklyn this week. In a discussion about my new book, Getting Smart, a couple dozen employees including teachers and technologists asked great questions about the future of learning.

Your book includes a lot of "in 5-10 years"...

The cacophony that is U.S. public education is a function of overlapping frames -- the variety of aims and perspectives from which stakeholders approach the 'system.' Following is a list of ten dominant frames:

1. Workforce development: the 21st century skills folks are primarily concerned with preparing a larger percentage...

Personalized math products are becoming more common in classrooms from kindergarten to college. These tools are really promising for building math skills and fluency. But I hear a growing number of people that compartmentalize learning technologies to skill building. Since raising my kids on Dr. Brain, Oregon Trail, and Sim...

Fordham released two important papers today as part of the Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning series. The first, Teachers in the Age of Digital Instruction, is by the co-directors of Public Impact. Bryan and Emily Hassel are the Gladwells of education -- they point to...

"All students should read at grade level by the end of third grade." Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson visited the Northwest this week on behalf of our friends at the League of Education Voters promoting this simple but important idea. It's a simple, important, and powerful message that is central to...

About a decade ago, the launch of Wikipedia was symbolic of an important threshold in human history -- anyone with a broadband connection could learn almost anything for free or cheap.

This year inexpensive tablet computers and free resources like Khan Academy are extending the learning revolution. The teachers...

After the host announced that student debt in the U.S. topped $1 trillion, columnist Nicholas Kristof told CNN this morning that "Tertiary education in the U.S. is broken."

Sal Khan explained how the old formula -- get a degree, get a good job, have a good life -- is breaking...