Brian Jacob, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Education Policy and co-director of the Education Policy Initiative, has received a $200,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation to study the effectiveness of online learning in the K-12 sector.
Online learning opportunities have increased dramatically for K-12 students in recent years but researchers do not have a clear idea of the landscape of online choices and how they compare to traditional learning options. The study, which will be co-led by Susanna Loeb, a professor at Stanford University School of Education and Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at Stanford, will use administrative data available through the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) and Florida Virtual School (FLVS) to characterize the current use of online courses and examine the impact of expanding online opportunities on student outcomes.