Guess Implementing Digital Learning Policy Changes in Colorado Not as Easy as It Looks

As last year was winding down, I told you that the issue of K-12 online and blended learning would be a big one going forward for Colorado in 2012. With the legislature now in session and the first-ever Digital Learning Day just around the corner, I found a timely article that deserves some attention here in Colorado.

The Innosight Institute’s Michael Horn lays out the question of how to get from the national group Digital Learning Now!’s reform roadmap to a well-tailored solution in a given state, in this brand-new Education Next article:

With the road map in place, one might assume that moving into the future will be a straightforward exercise: the pieces are all there and model legislation is forthcoming, so state policymakers just have to enact the 10 Elements.

Of course, things are never so simple, and many questions remain.

Some questions reflect legitimate disagreement over Digital Learning Now!’s recommendations, even among those who agree with its broad vision….

The devil indeed is in the details. But it’s just that sort of reality that keeps my Education Policy Center friends busy working hard… or so they say. Maybe they just keep busy to stay out of trouble. Because, after all, the idle brain is the devil’s playground. Sorry, all this talk of the devil is creeping me out — almost as much as talking about the bogeyman or Congress seriously considering the SOPA / PIPA bills (not sopapillas!).

Anyway, speaking of details, you can get some more insight into Michael Horn’s thinking on the need to make significant policy changes by listening to one of our iVoices podcasts we recorded with him a few months ago. Arm yourselves with knowledge as you support the good cause of parental choice and educational excellence through digital learning in Colorado!