Online learning continues to grow rapidly across the United States and the world, opening new learning opportunities for students and families. Informed estimates put the number of K-12 students in online courses at over 1 million, as parents and students are choosing online courses and schools for a variety of reasons that grow out of their individual needs. They may seek courses that otherwise would be unavailable at the local school; options to learn at the student's own pace; or accelerated coursework or a class to make up for lost credit. Students who have benefited from virtual schooling include those who have not had success in the traditional school setting, those who wish to learn in a manner that is individualized to their own learning style and pace, with medical conditions that make traditional schooling difficult, teen parents, student athletes, performers and children of military personnel who move frequently. In addition, some states now require an online learning experience as a condition for high school graduation, and even absent this requirement, online courses help prepare students for college and career. Most universities have embraced online learning and many employers use web-based technologies to teach workplace skills. With this growing interest from students and parents, the number of online learning providers continues to grow as well, ranging from state virtual schools, to online charter schools, to the student's district of residence. These options may be public or private, full-time or supplemental, fully online or a blend of online and classroom instruction, creating a potentially bewildering array of options from which students and parents can choose. This guide will assist parents in understanding what online learning is and in selecting the right online school, program or course. (Contains 8 footnotes and 1 figure.).

Every parent wants to help their child succeed, but it can be difficult when online platforms and teaching methods seem to be constantly changing. Now, A Parent's Guide to Virtual Learning takes the mystery out of digital education and gives you the tools that you can immediately implement at home, no matter your district, school, or distance learning model.

Peterson's Guide to Online Learning can help you get the most out of your online learning experience with helpful details on: Online learning guidance Online study habits Live chat sessions Virtual learning groups Online payment advice Common online mistakes Peterson's is with you every step of the way. With our resources for education exploration, financial aid, and test prep, you'll be well prepared for success! Comprehensive online learning guidance, including tips on making the most of your online learning experience Truths and myths of online learning and frequent learner errors Information about online degree programs, online certifications, and continuing education Advice on paying for online classes, software, and textbooks Peterson's is a leading provider of education content in the United States and has partnered with the DoD to provide a wide range of online products and services designed to help military service members and their families reach their education and career goals. Book jacket.

National efforts have been made to encourage technology integration in teacher preparation with expectations for frequent and successful applications with K-12 learners. While online learning has become pervasive in many fields in education, it has been somewhat slow to catch on in K-12 settings. The Handbook of Research on Emerging Practices and Methods for K-12 Online and Blended Learning is a collection of innovative research on the applications of technology in online and blended learning environments in order to develop quality courses, explore how content is delivered across disciplines and settings, and support the formation of relationships and enrichment opportunities. While highlighting topics including learning initiatives, institutional policies, and program structures, this book is ideally designed for teachers, principals, early childhood development centers, university faculty, administrators, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners.

In the current educational environment, there has been a shift towards online learning as a replacement for the traditional in-person classroom experience. With this new environment comes new technologies, benefits, and challenges for providing courses to students through an entirely digital environment. With this shift comes the necessary research on how to utilize these online courses and how to develop effective online educational materials that fit student needs and encourage student learning, motivation, and success. The optimization of these online tools requires a deeper look into curriculum, instructional design, teaching techniques, and new models for student assessment and evaluation. Information on how to create valuable online course content, engaging lesson plans for the digital space, and meaningful student activities online are only a few of many current topics of interest for promoting student achievement through online learning. The Research Anthology on Developing Effective Online Learning Courses provides multiple perspectives on how to develop engaging and effective online learning courses in the wake of the rapid digitalization of education. This book includes topics focused on online learners, online course content, effective online instruction strategies, and instructional design for the online environment. This reference work is ideal for curriculum developers, instructional designers, IT consultants, deans, chairs, teachers, administrators, academicians, researchers, and students interested in the latest research on how to create online learning courses that promote student success.

Universal Design in Higher Education looks at the design of physical and technological environments at institutions of higher education; at issues pertaining to curriculum and instruction; and at the full array of student services. Universal Design in Higher Education is a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners on creating fully accessible college and university programs. It is founded upon, and contributes to, theories of universal design in education that have been gaining increasingly wide attention in recent years. As greater numbers of students with disabilities attend postsecondary educational institutions, administrators have expressed increased interest in making their programs accessible to all students. This book provides both theoretical and practical guidance for schools as they work to turn this admirable goal into a reality. It addresses a comprehensive range of topics on universal design for higher education institutions, thus making a crucial contribution to the growing body of literature on special education and universal design. This book will be of unique value to university and college administrators, and to special education researchers, practitioners, and activists.

You just signed your child up for virtual learning. Now what? Do you have to sit right next to them all day long? What if you have to work, too? Guided by personal teaching experience in the classroom and current research, Brittany Edrington outlines strategies that can be used to help all children be successful. Whether your learning program is automated through a vendor or teacher-led, synchronous or asynchronous, this guide can help you support your child as they navigate the world of K-12 online learning.

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

More and more parents today are disillusioned with public education. Instead of merely tolerating a faulty system, expanding numbers of parents are turning to alternative education for their children. "Homeschooling" describes what homeschooling is all about, helps parents decide whether or not this choice fits their family lifestyle, covers virtually every aspect of homeschooling, and more.

A plain-English guide to teaching phonics. Every parent can teach reading—no experts need apply! Too many parents watch their children struggle with early reading skills—and don't know how to help. Phonics programs are too often complicated, overpriced, gimmicky, and filled with obscure educationalese. The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading cuts through the confusion, giving parents a simple, direct, scripted guide to teaching reading—from short vowels through supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. This one book supplies parents with all the tools they need. Over the years of her teaching career, Jessie Wise has seen good reading instruction fall prey to trendy philosophies and political infighting. Now she has teamed with dynamic coauthor Sara Buffington to supply parents with a clear, direct phonics program—a program that gives them the know-how and confidence to take matters into their own hands.