Advocating for Education
Role of the School Leader
What Role Do District Leaders & Educators Have in Advocating for Education?
Online School vs. School Online
The pandemic of 2020 has changed the landscape of education. Students experienced learning outside of the traditional brick and mortar classroom, and teachers became remote learning instructors overnight. Parents, grandparents, and the community at large added words like “asynchronous”, “synchronous”, “virtual”, “remote”, “blended”, and “Zoom”, to their lexicon. Unarguably, education has changed over the past year, and it has become a political talking point at every turn. Now, as we tiptoe into 2021, we are uncertain what these impacts will have on the future. Like it or not, everyone seems to have an opinion and a base foundation of knowledge regarding remote and virtual learning: the majority of American students have experienced some type of online learning experience over the past year. And, everyone has an opinion on what education should look like moving forward. As District Leaders and Educators, we need to be vigilant in clarifying, correcting, and teaching the public that education is not one size fits all, and that pandemic remote learning experiences are likely much different than those of a child who opts for an education in a fully virtual school. I’ve heard this difference explained by Erik Hanson, Dean of Virtual Learning at the Appleton eschool, as “online school” versus “school online”. There is a difference. In our current climate, memes, tv commercials, and late night skits have concentrated on remote learning experiences that are oftentimes not portrayed in a positive light. As leaders and educators who know the positive side of virtual learning, it is our job to advocate for and share our perspective of the virtual school experience.
One looming question, that only time will answer, is whether the pandemic has helped or hindered the perception of virtual learning? 2020 brought virtual schools and remote learning into the public eye, creating an awareness for non-traditional learning pathways. This awareness is both good and bad for virtual education. On the bright side, families now know that there are viable alternatives to the traditional brick and mortar pathways. Despite the musings on late night tv and shared parental frustration at water cooler talk, some students have thrived outside of the traditional classroom day and setting. Parents have discovered that there are advantages to a more personalized pace and place for learning, and that omitting the distractions of a classroom setting have had a positive impact on their student’s academic achievement and personal wellness. Furthermore, students are getting enough sleep, and finding ways to spend more time with their family. As District Leaders and Educators, are we touting these positives loudly enough for the folks in the back to hear? Or are our celebrations drowned in the desire for “things to return to normal”? What does normal look like now? How can we help the public understand that education is not a one size fits all endeavor? One answer: celebrate our personal stories and experiences from our schools.
Positives of Virtual Learning
As experts in the field, we can be the voice of positive dialogue surrounding virtual learning. Let’s share these positives and the anecdotes from our own situations. For example, at our school, families have commented on the advantages of their students finding the power of “owning their learning”, and being in the driver’s seat of their education. One parent shared that she did not fully grasp this concept herself until college, and she sees her 9th grade son learning this lesson now. She commented on how far advanced he will be from this personal revelation of knowing what it means to be an active learner. Additionally, students and families have embraced the flexibility that an education not driven by time and place can have on their lives. We have families who were able to leave the cold Wisconsin weather to travel south, fostering a healthy “school to life” balance. For other parents, it has been eye opening for them to see the rigor of their child’s education, as virtual learning can be so much more transparent than the traditional classroom. Others have commented on the fact that their child is not hindered by the progress, or lack thereof, of students in the classroom, he can move ahead at a pace that suits his aptitude. How many of these positives do we hear on the news? One of our full-time virtual school seniors, who has been with us since freshman year, wrote in her Senior Exit Survey, “...I don't know of any other high school experience that could have better prepared me for the independence and motivation needed in pursuing a higher education.” If we are not sharing these stories, who is? How do we spread the word so the public understands that there are many variables and varied experiences for virtual learners, just as there are for those in a classic brick and mortar setting.
Another area that should be clarified for the public is that many people believe that remote learning and virtual learning are synonymous. The terms are interchanged frequently- sometimes in the same sentence: this circles back to the phrase mentioned earlier: “online school” versus “school online”. And, for students (and families) whose first exposure to online learning has been a pandemic “remote learning” experience, taught by an instructor whose curriculum was meant to be delivered in a face-to-face setting, whose pedagogical tool box was filled with brick and mortar implements, and who may have been a reluctant participant in a nontraditional learning environment, this experience should not be thought of as the end all and be all of “virtual learning”. Lumping all experiences into one story is not an accurate or responsible portrayal of alternative learning pathways for students. Again, education does not have to be one size fits all.
Semantics matter, and in my role as a virtual school principal and advocate for virtual learning opportunities, I remind people as often as I can, often feeling like a broken record, that remote learning is not the same experience as a fully virtual learning experience: “school online” or “online school”. In a fully virtual program or charter school, curriculum is designed to be delivered outside of the face-to-face classroom setting. I also reiterate that virtual learning is not for all students, just as a brick and mortar traditional experience may not be the best fit for all learners.
No end all be all for learning
To help demonstrate what a virtual learning pathway may look like, let me provide some specifics. A virtual school curriculum is likely rich with interactive tools, engaging, and has a level of accessibility and individualization to meet the needs of diverse learners. The instructional delivery may have components of synchronous and asynchronous learning, and there is a rich dialogue between instructor and student that is personalized, to encourage academic growth. Feedback is authentic and timely. Ideally, virtual courses are aligned with the National Standards for Quality Online Courses. Likewise, virtual instructors should be versed in the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching. This instructor’s toolbox looks different than those whose primary role is to deliver synchronous face-to-face instruction in a brick and mortar classroom. And, the school itself should have systems in place to deliver an all encompassing school experience with a focus on school culture, relationship building, planning, faculty and staff support, and assessment and learner performance, as found in the National Standards for Quality Online Programs. There are clear differences in purpose and design between courses designed for virtual delivery and those that are not, and District Leaders and Educators need to drive this message home.
There is not one pathway that is the end all and be all for learning. Each student is different, and it is our responsibility to help each child learn and succeed. Let’s make it a point to celebrate students, celebrate educators, and highlight the positives that are happening in every educational setting: virtual and brick and mortar. Let’s change the dialogue that’s taking place in the public arena. It should be our mission to help all students find the learning environment that is best for them, and to do that, we need to educate students, families, teachers, and the community on what those pathways look like and what options exist for their learners.
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Jennifer Seymour
Principal, Wausau Area Virtual Education (WAVE)