District CIO

During its first year of operation, Florida Virtual School had 77 students. The next year, it had 476 students; then 2,489 students the year after that. Now, Florida Virtual School is a national brand, becoming the top online-course provider in America and serving tens of thousands of students every year, all over the country.

Riverside County (Calif.) supervisors authorized the sale of $21 million in bonds by the Coachella Valley Unified School District to support districtwide technology upgrades and supply every student with an Apple iPad.

In preparation of upcoming digital changes in Hamilton City Schools, two teachers within the district will soon take on the role of full-time technology instructional coaches. Zach Vander Veen, director of technology, said he hopes to have the spots filled by the end of the school year.

In October, the Florida Department of Education requested more than $400 million for digital learning in its annual budget request submitted to state lawmakers. The money was needed to buy computers and upgrade public schools' bandwidth and wireless access, it said. But now department officials say they can make do with just $100 million for next year.

The Kutztown (Pa.) School Board approved a $171,500 technology infrastructure upgrade. "The vision is to provide reliable and current resources," said Dr. Christopher Harrington, director of Bridges Virtual Education School.

As blended learning is implemented in more schools across the country, administrators need to consider which online programs will most effectively drive student success. This web seminar, originally presented on February 14, 2013, addressed the future of education, the benefits of implementing blending learning, and how online programs can meet students’ unique needs.

Both Houston ISD and South Carolina's Richland 1 School District raised their students' writing scores by giving teachers professional development training.

Digital Promise announced that Karen Cator, the former director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education, has been named its new president and chief executive officer.

A 2010 survey from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration found that 22 percent of households with school-age children did not have broadband at home.

Right now, 31 states allow purely online schools, of which about 275,000 students attended in the 2011-2012 school year, according to “Keeping Pace with K12 Online and Blended Learning,” an annual report from the Evergreen Education Group, which works with districts to improve education outcomes through digital learning.