Distance Education in the K-12 Setting
The evolution of technology over the last century has in many ways changed how teachers teach today. From kindergarten through twelfth grade, students are now able to complete 100% of their schooling online. If novel teaching practices have been established as a result of technology advancements, tools which align with those teaching practices must be produced in order to ensure continued student success. The purpose of this chapter is two-fold; to review teacher practices in K-12 distance education today and to discuss the field of education's need for research in measuring K-12 virtual school teacher effectiveness. The chapter begins with an overview of the history of distance education, followed by an examination of virtual school teacher pedagogy, a brief review of measuring K-12 teacher performance in the traditional and virtual school settings, and a synopsis of current tools for evaluating K-12 virtual school teacher effectiveness. The chapter closes with solutions and recommendation for future research.