Michigan First State to Have Online Requirement for HS Grad
Susan Patrick, President & CEO of the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL), and John Watson, founder of Evergreen Consulting and author of the annual Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning report, will give the closing keynote address titled, “Current and Future Trends in Online Learning” at Michigan Virtual University’s Online Learning Symposium in February. Michigan is the first state in the nation to have an online learning requirement for high school graduation. Patrick and Watson will discuss national and global trends for the future of education.
“Online learning is increasing access to rigorous, high quality courses across the nation that can help improve high school graduation rates and offer alternatives to meeting the requirements,” says Patrick. “Other countries are centering education reform strategies on e-learning to expand access to courses, improve teaching, increase achievement and teach 21st century skills. Michigan is taking the lead with online learning, and preparing students to be ready for college and work demands.” One in five college students takes an online course and more than 30 percent of workforce training is done online.
“Michigan is among the leading states in implementing online learning solutions in response to the issues faced by K-12 education,” says John Watson, who wrote The Michigan Online Learning Report, which was commissioned by the Michigan Virtual University.
Patrick was named the President and CEO of NACOL in September 2005. She is the former Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. As Director, she published the National Education Technology Plan, Toward a New Golden Age in American Education: How the Internet, the Law and Today’s Students Are Revolutionizing Expectations in January 2005. Patrick managed the federal government’s educational technology policies and produced two Secretary’s Technology Leadership Summits.#
