The committee room in the State Annex in Trenton was full already when the Joint Committee on Public Schools convened on Tuesday to consider the opportunities that digital learning held for New Jersey public schools. Five minutes after the hearing started, people continued streaming in. Ten minutes later, people lined the walls and choked the doorway. Finally it became too much when a nun couldn't even find a seat, so several dozen chairs were quickly distributed from other rooms.
It was worth cramming into the room to hear the legislators and panelists confront with little rhetoric what every state in the nation is facing: declining revenues and underperforming schools are enabling policy makers to reach across partisan and ideological lines and discuss innovative solutions and how to immediately put them in place. In New Jersey, there was nothing forced about the discussion. Legislators were candid about their lack of understanding of digital and online learning, and they were seeking advice on how to best put digital innovations to work for New Jersey.
Below are some highlights from students, teachers, legislators and panelists including Gov. Bob Wise of the Alliance for Excellent Education, Susan Patrick of iNACOL, Michael Horn of the Innosight Institute, and Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform.
Gov. Wise's presentation was chilling and framed the issue: states face an escalating revenue gap, a growing teacher shortage, and an outcomes gap that is widening. Some of his observations:
In addition to her presentation reviewing the state of online learning, Susan Patrick moderated a panel of with five online students from sixth grade to a recent high school graduate. Having never met before today, and without coaching, the students helped the legislators and the audience see what digital learning was all about. The students' testimony made their schools REAL for everyone. Some of the details the kids helped to explain:
Susan Patrick also noted:
Michael Horn was so persuasive in his discussion of the opportunity that disruptive innovations such as digital learning present that one legislator, Senator Ronald Rice endorsing "Disrupting Class" numerous times throughout the hearing as the key for union supporters, parents and reformers to embrace. Michael made several powerful points:
And he challenged the legislators to act:
The panelists also provided a specific roadmap for policy discussions to begin, and the action they offered centered on blended learning solutions which combines the best of online and onsite learning.
Reactions from legislators to what they heard and learned was extremely positive.
Senator Ronald L. Rice, "I'm impressed. This conversation has proven that this should be in traditional schools regardless."
Finally, Gov. Wise noted that specific policy principles would be announced next week when the work of the Digital Learning Council was rolled out. He noted that over 100 policy makers, educators, technologists, philanthropists, entrepreneurs community leaders, and education advocates had worked virtually for three months to design the state-focused recommendations. Wise and former Gov. Jeb Bush were leading the effort, and the two former Governors would announce the 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning on December 1 in Washington, DC.
(Bennet Ratcliff covered the event and contributed this article, also posted at edReformer.com)
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How about inviting educators, perhaps some like myself who hold a NJ teaching credential AND have taught online for more than 15 years, to share their wisdom, best practices or concern?
Instead we get politicians, venture capitalists and an MBA whose business school professor wrote a book as experts.
As I said in this Huffington Post article, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-stager/wanna-be-a-school-reforme_b_765199.html, "UNQUALIFIED IS THE NEW QUALIFIED!"