June 2001 — Industry Perspective
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Virtual Schools, A 21st Century Strategy for Teacher Professional Development
Education is at the forefront of our national agenda. It was cited as the number one concern in the recent presidential election, and the national media constantly reports on education. States are focused on developing standards for student achievement, and the corporate community is forming strategic alliances with schools and districts and making philanthropic investments in education. Student scores on state and national achievement tests are constantly under the microscope of the media, business, lawmakers and the community at large.
In spite of our strong national focus on education, our schools are faced with a critical teacher shortage. According to a 2000 study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as many as 2.7 million additional teachers are needed over the next decade to support our rapidly growing public and secondary school enrollment, and to replace retiring teachers. Many schools, especially those in rural communities, are struggling to recruit and retain qualified teachers.
Growing up in a family of educators, I saw firsthand the deep commitment of K-12 teachers, often grading papers long into the evening and devoting personal time to learning new teaching strategies and skills. Today’s constantly evolving educational environment and the integration of technology into schools present even more challenges for these dedicated professionals. And with the widespread adoption of new state and national achievement standards, educators have more and more demands placed on their time.
Teachers need professional development workshops that will help them stay up-to-date and meet their individual learning needs without requiring a lot of time away from their classrooms and students. E-learning, virtual schools and interactive online education supplement traditional classroom offerings and provide unique benefits. Schools and districts can reach teachers with professional development that meets the needs of the education community and can be customized to address state, district and school requirements.
The Teacher Professional Development Challenge
The education community recognizes that in order to meet the changing demands of their jobs, high-quality teachers must be willing to continuously learn and relearn. The National Staff Development Council (NSDC), a nonprofit association, believes that for children to learn more, their teachers must continually be learning more. According to NSDC, “as we raise our expectations for our children, we are also expecting teachers to learn more and do more.”
However, a 1999 NCES study, Teacher Quality: A Report on the Preparation and Qualifications of Public School Teachers, reports that fewer than half of American teachers feel very well prepared to meet the challenges they are facing in today’s classroom. In fact, in spite of more than $6 billion invested nationally in education technology, almost two-thirds of all teachers report that they do not feel prepared to teach with technology. While 49 states have adopted content standards and 48 have assessments developed to measure student achievement, the NCES study revealed that only 28 percent of teachers felt “very well prepared” to use student performance assessment techniques. Less than 40 percent reported feeling “very well prepared” to implement state or district curriculum and performance standards.
