The Digital Learning Collaborative releases Career Readiness and Digital Learning Report

DURANGO, Colo., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Digital Learning Collaborative today released a new study exploring "The Intersection of Career Readiness and Digital Learning."

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting education for a third straight year, students and families are more concerned than ever about student progression, especially in the key high school years as students are exploring careers and college. As most districts across the United States have responded with physical building closures, quarantines, and emergency remote learning, the schools that had online and hybrid learning in place pre-pandemic have continued to serve their students, increasing enrollments and demonstrating that teaching and learning can continue during disruptions. These schools—both district-run schools and charter schools, fully online and hybrid—are also showing that students can thrive and work towards careers and college in these innovative learning environments.

Digital learning, in all its forms, supports career study in numerous valuable ways. Online schools and courses are creating new, innovative, and generally underappreciated synergies between schools and career exploration for students. Digital learning is increasing access to career and technical education courses of study for many students who otherwise would not have access to these options, while site-based internships and other programs are providing real-world experience to students in online and hybrid schools.

The study applies frameworks from the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) to digital learning, and explores implementation strategies from a variety of schools and state-run online learning programs, including Destinations Career Academy of Colorado, Oxford Virtual Academy, Cyber Academy of South Carolina, Nevada Connections Academy, Virtual Arkansas, and Virtual Learning Academy Charter School.

Three key findings of the study, explored in school profiles, are:

1.Online CTE courses and programs often provide career education options for students who would not otherwise have access to good opportunities.
2. Full-time online schools provide CTE programs by offering a combination of online career courses and by partnering with businesses, state and regional training centers, and other organizations to combine online learning with on-the-ground, real-world jobs, internships, and learning opportunities.
3. Hybrid schools and programs, including those run by mainstream districts, provide academic scheduling flexibility to students who seek to prioritize their time in jobs, internships, or career training. No longer do these students have to fit in their career interests after regular school hours or on weekends—when many companies and high-value jobs are not open or available. For example, a student interested in a veterinary career can work at a vet's office during the regular week and school hours, completing some of their online coursework after normal work hours.

The Digital Learning Collaborative will be hosting two free webinars for the public with the main researchers and several of the educators from schools profiled in the report. Webinars will be on October 7 and November 4, both at 3pm ET. Advance registration is available here.

About the Digital Learning Collaborative

The Digital Learning Collaborative is a membership group made up of the educators, providers, and supporters seeking to improve education for all schools and students through research, information-sharing, and collaborative activities. The DLC runs the Digital Learning Annual Conference, which will celebrate its fourth year on February 7-9, 2022, in Atlanta and online. The DLC is organized by the Evergreen Education Group. Members include school districts, state agencies, online schools, state virtual schools, NGOs, and companies.

About the Evergreen Education Group

Evergreen has been the leading advisory and consulting firm in K-12 online, hybrid, and blended learning for 21 years. We advise companies, NGOs, and government agencies on a variety of digital learning issues, publish reports and blog regularly as part of the Digital Learning Collaborative, and coordinate the Digital Learning Annual Conference.

Media Contact

Lauren Vashaw-Mass, Evergreen Education Group, +1 (616) 340-8066, [email protected]

SOURCE Digital Learning Collaborative