An Empirical Evaluation of Distance Learning’s Effectiveness in the K–12 Setting

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of online instruction on the academic achievement of K-12 students in ten states as measured by the percentage of proficient students in reading and mathematics at the school level. We used publicly available data provided by the

Facilitating Emergency Remote K-12 Teaching in Computing-Enhanced Virtual Learning Environments During COVID-19 Pandemic - Blessing or Curse?

“…Education leaders in K-12 embrace online distance learning opportunities for several reasons. The benefits of online DL can lead to changes in the nature of education, motivate students to participate in online learning activities, expand educational access, and encourage students to function as self-regulated and independent learners ( Blau & Shamir-Inbal, 2017a ; Harris-Packer & Ségol, 2015 ). It provides students with a variety of choices, convenience to their needs, and personalization that supports effective teaching and learning processes ( Engelbertink et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Although distance learning has been studied in depth, research of distance learning in the K-12 setting is still very limited. ( Harris-Packer & Ségol, 2015 ; Schwartz et al., 2020 ). The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges that teachers face in implementing online distance learning processes in times of crisis.…”

Examining K-12 Teachers’ Digital Competency and Technology Self-Efficacy During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Research suggests insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of digital learning (Farmer & West, 2019;Harris-Packer & Ségol, 2015). According to Lane et al (2019), the measure of effectiveness is flawed because the skills needed for remote education are not equivalent to those required for face-to-face; therefore, good face-to-face teachers are not necessarily good online teachers.…”

Teachers’ practices during COVID-19: Practices and perspectives in elementary and secondary settings

“…For instance, in the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model of instruction ( Koehler & Mishra, 2005 ), technology and content are not taught separately but truly intertwine; thus, pedagogical content knowledge is not integrated in technological applications but rather they are combined to promote learning (e.g., Lee & Kim, 2014 ). Prior to the pandemic, comparisons between traditional brick and mortar schools and virtual schools indicated that student achievement was stronger when students attended in-person ( Carpenter et al, 2015 ; Harris-Packer & Ségol, 2015 ). However, pointing out that virtual schools tend to improve over time, Harris-Packer and Ségol (2015) reported that virtual programs in Florida and Michigan stood out as outliers with achievement scores similar to their state averages.…”