According to the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) "while the institution of public schooling has demonstrated a capacity to successfully cope with many threats, the scope and number of challenges presented by recent developments are unprecedented and threaten to overwhelm even the resilient public school system." (19)
District's are facing three major crisis:
1. Substantial federal and state budget cuts to education - this is having a significant impact school districts nationwide.
- Philadelphia School Leaders Approve 'Doomsday' Budget, Associated Press, May 31, 2013.
- Chicago School Closures Punctuate Challenge for Urban Districts, Education Week, May 30, 2013.
- Cincinnati Public Schools Multimillion Budget Gap, Cincinnati Enquirer, June 4, 2013.
- The graduation rate in the U.S.A. is approximately 70%.
- Half of those who graduate high school are not college or career ready and will require remedial classes in college.
3. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics a severe teacher shortage is on the horizon.
- Half of the teaching workforce will be eligible for retirement within 15 years.
- Currently, almost 1/2 of all new teachers leave the profession within 5 years.
- There are not enough highly-qualified and experienced teachers to replace those nearing retirement.
- The experience level for teachers, the most important indicator for student success, has dropped dramatically from 15 years in 1988 to 2 years in 2008.
What does this mean for America's students?
Nationwide the country's educational system is facing approximately $350 billion in budget cuts compounded by the fact that many states reduced funding of the educational system in amounts equal to the federal infusion of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. So schools are facing a double whammy of cuts from both the federal and state.
What does this means for the nation's students and teachers:
Nationwide the country's educational system is facing approximately $350 billion in budget cuts compounded by the fact that many states reduced funding of the educational system in amounts equal to the federal infusion of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. So schools are facing a double whammy of cuts from both the federal and state.
What does this means for the nation's students and teachers:
- Services cut for millions of students - with an especially dramatic impact on the countries already disadvantaged children.
- Exploding student to teacher ratios.
- Cuts in extra-curricular programs including sports and after-school remediation/enrichment programs.
- Cuts in essential materials for learning: technology, learning programs, digital/print materials, lab materials...
- The end result will be a loss of the academic gains many of our weakest school's have made.
- Lower graduation rates.
- Students will be even less prepared for college and careers.
Our students' and our nation's future are at stake! Everyone loses as we face this "perfect storm" crisis.
Blended Learning: A Realistic Solution
So the question becomes how do we meet student needs and improve learning for all students during these lean economic times?
The answer in many school district's and classrooms has been to think outside the box and to leverage current technologies and resources differently to create a blended learning environment.
Why is blended learning the answer to many of the issues students and teachers are facing today? Blended learning:
- Creates equitable educational opportunities across districts - regardless of student location.
- Provides opportunities for individualized instruction even with high student to teacher ratios.
- Naturally provides differentiated instruction for all students better meeting student needs thru the use of asynchronistic learning and assessment opportunities - where students are active participants in their own learning process.
- Teaches students 21st century technology skills better preparing students for college and career opportunities.
- Provides immediate remediation opportunities which has been shown to reduce failure and dropout rates.
- Provides enrichment opportunities by allowing students to take courses that don't fit into their current schedule.
- Can be cost effective saving districts money by leveraging current technologies and free resources more effectively.
Blended Learning will be explored as a viable option to help minimize the impact of the educational fiscal cliff society is facing and to assure the learning process isn't compromised with the looming teacher shortage but could in fact be enhanced and better prepare students for college and careers. This crisis is an opportunity for educator's to embrace new ways of thinking about the when, where and how of education as well as what defines authentic learning and assessment.
It is time to work smarter, to change our view about technology from a teacher delivery tool to share knowledge, to a student-centric tool which creates authentic learning and assessment opportunities.
It is time to work smarter, to change our view about technology from a teacher delivery tool to share knowledge, to a student-centric tool which creates authentic learning and assessment opportunities.
Bibliography
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Cincinnati Enquirer. (2013, June 4). Cincinnati Public Schools Multimillion Budget Gap.
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Education Week. (2013, May 30) Chicago School Closures Punctuate Challenge for Urban Districts
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