It is no secret that virtual educational options are spreading like wildfire across the country.  As many online and hybrid schools are in their infancy, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute looks at what policies and procedures should be in place to ensure that quality standards are met over the long-term.

With the help of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, the Fordham Institute has commissioned six papers that address the issues surrounding virtual learning.  Released on Wednesday, the first paper, "Quality Control in K-12 Digital Learning: Three (Imperfect) Approaches", examines regulation, accountability standards, and quality control. 

Written by Rick Hess, director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, the paper discusses the pros and cons of input regulation, outcome-based accountability, and market signals as solutions to issues surrounding quality.  Hess acknowledges that there is no silver bullet method to assure a program meets all provisions, but he states that the best option is to pursue a combination of the three approaches, leveraging their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Continuing this conversation, Bill Tucker of Education Next posted a blog today, building off of Hess' foundation.  Tucker examines 5 ideas to promote quality control in digital learning.  Tucker stresses the importance of examining process measures, better data, parent choice, and increased transparency.