According to the report, blended learning is a model in which the student learns, in-part, at a supervised physical location away from home and also through online delivery where the student has control over the time, place, path and/or pace of the curriculum.

Not everyone was in agreement - some education observers felt the report's "blend" as a blend of public monies and private profit-seeking. Said Gene. V. Glass, senior researcher at the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado, "If the policy recommendations in [the report] were taken seriously, half a dozen large private companies would have a clear path toward hundreds of millions of dollars of public education funding."

Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters, agrees with Glass' concerns, and points out the push toward blended learning is motivated by two factors. "There's a huge industry out there that's dying to make money, and there's the idea that in the long run this will save money on teachers," which is a claim that is without research to back it, Haimson said. She feels there should be smaller pilots before these programs are imposed on school systems throughout the nation.

On the other side of the coin, online-learning experts are happy with the report's findings and information, and feel it provides an important overview of the emerging field of how online and blended learning are starting to provide personalized learning experiences in a range of 40 different settings.

Profiles in the report include a chart of information which detail the way each organization is managed, through charter or state education, where it is based, what grades it serves, how much it costs, what the content is, enrollment and several other factors. The report argues blended learning has the potential to transform K-12 education.  

What are your thoughts on blended learning? Do you have it in your school setting? We always want to hear how you feel about the topics and articles in the RSN Newsletter. We'd love to hear your opinion on this topic!  

Send your thoughts to rsn@jponline.com or post them in the Leadership forum in the Responsive School Network™.

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In looking closely at the schools across the nation that "work," as determined by test scores and graduation rates, the one thing they all have are involved parents who are on top of homework, teachers and parents who view their children's education as an investment in their future. Back in the "old days," the way a child behaved in the classroom was a reflection of their home life and teachers were respected as "knowing best." Today, parents are more likely to see the teacher as a problem.  

In the state of Florida, Republican State Representative Kelli Stargel has been hearing from teachers, and listening to them, as well. "Teachers were telling us, 'we can only do so much in the classroom. We have no control over what happens with these kids at home.'" Likewise, Democratic State Representative Linda Lawson of Indiana recently introduced  a bill requiring parents to spend three hours each semester volunteering either in the school building or at a school-related function. The idea behind the bill was to increase parent-teacher interaction, thereby giving teachers a chance to talk to parents and letting parents see what the real life of a school and teacher is.

Stargel came up with even more astonishing legislation - a requirement to grade parents on their involvement in their child's education, a grade which would be posted on the child's report card. For example, did the parents skip parent-teacher conferences? Was the child sent to school properly dressed and fed? Was homework checked? These would be posted as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Of course the bills are facing parent resistance. And of course there are problems in the details of the bills. What counts as parent involvement? How is good or bad parenting defined? How are children whose parents did their homework for them scored? Although neither bill made headway, neither of the Representatives are giving up. Both are planning to revise their bills over the summer for reintroduction this fall. Said Stargel, "We are going to stick to things we can measure. We can't actually 'fail' parents. All we are really aiming to do is identify those parents who aren't doing all they should so we can intervene."

Some states already have laws in place aimed at parental improvement. Alaska fines parents for their child's truancy. California is able to file a misdemeanor charge against parents with flagrant truancy. Further, California allows judges to order parents to attend parenting classes if their child is in a gang. Although the new law has been in effect since January, attendance at the class has been low.

What do you think about teachers shifting the blame back to the parents? Do you see a relation between parental involvement and student success? Please share your thoughts with us by clicking the engage button below - we want to hear what you think!