K-12 online learning and virtual public schools are experiencing explosive growth and high demand from students, teachers, and parents:

• As of September 2006, 38 states have either state-led online learning programs, significant policies enabling online education, or both, with an estimated growth of 25% annually.
• In 2002-03, there were 328,000 distance education enrollments in K-12 public schools (US Department of Education National Center of Education Statistics)
• The Peak Group estimated 2005 online enrollments of 500,000, and projects 1 million online enrollments in 2006
• There are 147 virtual charter schools with more than 65,000 students in 18 states.
• 72% of school districts with distance education programs planned to expand their online offerings.
• In April 2006, Michigan became first state to require online learning for high school graduation.

(North American Council for Online Learning, "A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning" - NACOL is the leading organization representing the interests of administrators, practitioners, businesses and students involved in online learning in North America)

Higher education and the business world are rapidly integrating online education:

• 2.5 million students in higher education enrolled in at least one class online in 2004 - equivalent to 11% of all students in accredited degree-granting institutions.  Growth continues at 400,000 students annually
• Corporations use online learning for employee training - 77% use distributed learning (online learning or blended with multi-media and/or traditional methods).  A huge increase from only 4% in 1995!

(From a 2006 Sloan Consortium study, "Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States")

 Public virtual schools prepare students for challenges and opportunities in the 21^st Century:

"Online learning through virtual schools is one of the most important advancements in attempting to rethink the effectiveness of education in the United States. The virtual school provides access to online, collaborative and self-paced learning environments - settings that can facilitate 21^st Century skills.  Today's students must be able to combine these skills with the effective use of technology to succeed in current and future jobs."

("Virtual Schools and 21^st Century Skills":  A 2006 report by NACOL and the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills)

A 2007 report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce titled, Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Education, praised states that "have moved aggressively to promote comprehensive charter school legislation and enable virtual schooling, thus helping establish the infrastructure for 21^st century educational reinvention," and praised virtual schools for providing students, parents and schools with choice and flexibility.

Funding:  Public virtual schools have significant costs and require funding similar to

brick and mortar schools:

A 2006 study on costs and funding of virtual schools (prepared for the BellSouth Foundation), determined that "the operating costs of online programs are about the same as the operating costs of a regular brick and mortar school."  The report found:

"For a full-time program, results from the panel suggest that costs range from about $7,200 to about $8,300 per FTE...Full-time programs can be more expensive than those serving students on a supplemental basis because these schools are typically responsible for special needs students and for adhering to state and federal accountability requirements (including granting credits, testing students, making AYP, etc.).  In addition, local virtual schools are more likely than state virtual schools to provide computers and Internet connectivity for their students, which can result in higher costs per pupil."

The report concluded:

"A common argument heard from policymakers and others is that virtual schools are less expensive than regular public schools, and as such, should be funded differently.  Based on the data it appears that the costs of operating a virtual school are about the same as those of a regular brick-and-mortar school.  The main benefits provided by virtual schools are that they increase access to quality courses and educational opportunities, making it possible for all students to receive high quality courses of instruction better personalized to their needs.  This increases access to rigorous courses is an important component in addressing educational reform for education policy makers."

("20/20 Costs and Funding of Virtual Schools:  An examination of the costs to start, operate, and grow virtual schools and a discussion of funding options for states interested in supporting virtual school programs," Augenblick, Palaich, & Associates on behalf of the BellSouth Foundation)

What leading groups are saying about online education:

"The NASBE Study Group on e-Learning concludes that e-learning will improve American education in valuable ways and should be universally implemented as soon as possible."

("Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace:  Taking the Lead on e-Learning Policy," National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

 "The ubiquity of computers in schools . . .  has opened the door to a new set of educational possibilities: online courses now make it possible for students in even the most remote locations to have access to classes their home schools were previously unable to provide. . . Online education can fundamentally change relationship that students, teachers, parents, and the community have with their educational institutions and with one another. For policymakers, those transformations pose some difficult choices.  If they ignore online education, they turn their back on their responsibility to extend learning opportunities."

("NEA's Guide to Teaching Online Courses," National Education Association, 2006)

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