The report outlines four measures to bolster support and expansion of online learning programs, and it encourages policy makers and educators to work together to advance the goals.
Those four goals are:
- Educators and education officials at every level, including ED, should move forward with the development of online curriculum and the digital content to support it. They also should continue to evaluate the effectiveness of various approaches to online learning and to educate parents, students, teachers, and others about the benefits of online education programs.
- Policy makers at every level should review accreditation rules, teacher licensing requirements, copyright law, and other laws and regulations that might unintentionally undermine the effectiveness of online education programs and limit the use of digital technologies in the classroom. To the extent possible, antiquated rules should be modified to eliminate unintentional barriers to online learning.
- Public policy makers should redouble their efforts to deliver broadband access and the opportunity to enjoy online learning to every American. The universal deployment and adoption of broadband technology should be the first priority in national technology policy, and efforts to achieve this goal should include digital literacy and education initiatives that encourage late adopters to embrace broadband.
- Technology policy makers should explore measures, such as the creation of a universal broadband support fund, to enable the deployment and adoption of broadband in high-cost areas. Similarly, policy makers should avoid policies, including unnecessary regulation, that can raise costs and make it harder for less affluent school districts and individuals to fully adopt broadband technology.
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