Florida Poised to Retain Digital Learning Leadership

After the release of Digital Learning Now report in December, Florida lawmakers realized they had room for improvement.  The House subcommittee on Innovation held an engaging February hearing with national experts.  Now stakeholders in Florida are advocating for a comprehensive digital learning bill, SB 1620.
SB 1620 incorporates the 10 elements of Digital Learning Now.  Under SB 1620, FL students would have access to more digital learning options –  full time online schools, blended programs, supplemental online courses – from multiple schools and providers.  Florida law currently prohibits public charter schools from offering online/blended learning programs to its students.  SB 1620 would end the discrimination.
edReformer is a big fan of Florida Virtual–the largest state virtual school–and the way it was set up with rolling enrollment and performance-based reimbursement.  However, FLVS is the only provider that can provide supplemental or part time enrollment. As the DLN report suggests, choice to the course and multiple providers is the next step and SB 1620 will make that a reality.
Florida Alliance for Choices in Education (FACE) and National Coalition for Public School Options support the bill.
 

Tom Vander Ark

Tom Vander Ark is the CEO of Getting Smart. He has written or co-authored more than 50 books and papers including Getting Smart, Smart Cities, Smart Parents, Better Together, The Power of Place and Difference Making. He served as a public school superintendent and the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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