Examining the extent and nature of online learning in American K-12 Education: The research initiatives of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

In 1992, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation began its Anytime, Anyplace Learning Program, the purpose of which was to explore educational alternatives for people who wanted to pursue an education via Internet technology. Part of this grant activity was a research award to the Babson College Survey Research Group to examine online learning in American K-12 education. Three studies were conducted based on national surveys of school district and/or high school administrators. The focus of these studies was twofold: one, to examine the extent and nature of online learning in K-12 school districts; second, to examine the role of online learning in high school reform initiatives. The purpose of this article is to share the findings from these studies and to look critically at what they mean for the future of online learning in American K-12 schools.

► This article reports the findings of three national studies of online and blended learning in K-12 education.
► Online and blended learning are growing significantly and it is projected that by 2016, five million K-12 mostly high school students will be enrolled in these courses.
► Online and blended learning are seen as a cost-effective modality for addressing high school reform issues including improving graduation rates through credit recovery, accelerating time to a diploma, building bridges to college careers, and differentiating instruction.