News Release: Washington Parents, Teachers, Legislators Agree: Online Education Good for Washington

WASHINGTON FAMILIES FOR ONLINE LEARNING
PO Box 14356
Seattle, WA 98114
www.waonlinefamilies.org
        
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:    
Rich Dingle, founding director
(800) 547-2764
        
Washington Parents, Teachers, and Legislators Agree Online Education is Good for Washington, Great for Kids

Olympia, WA -- Washington’s recently signed online education law is good for the state of Washington and great for the kids in the state, according to the parents, teacher’s union and legislative leaders who worked together for advancement of online public school programs. These groups all support the groundbreaking law that Governor Gregoire signed in May.

"The signing of S5410 is significant and has set a standard for other states to copy on how to accredit and set policies for the growing field of online education," said Rich Dingle, Co-Founder of Washington Families for Online Learning. “These new policies should serve students who are benefiting from impressive online public school programs for years to come.”

A representative of the Washington Education Association testified before the House Education Committee that online learning belongs in our school system in today’s world.  By working together with policy makers and the online programs, we are helping our state produce the right policies to provide parents with the access and information they need; help rural schools provide a greater variety of courses; help struggling students find a place to ‘fit in’;  and ensure the use of qualified, state-certified teachers.

The bill was originally sponsored by Washington Senators Oemig, Morton, McAuliffe, Tom and Eide. “Legislators need to provide guidelines for online programs to create effective learning alternatives and provide better access for parents and students,” said Senator Eric Oemig, Vice Chair of the Washington State Senate Education Committee.  “Online programs and courses can play a huge role in the future of public education. We need to leverage online technology, not fight it.”

The legislation requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to develop an approval process for online learning providers and to establish a statewide Office of Online Learning. Model agreements will be developed to help school districts better utilize online public school programs. OSPI will launch a  website to provide parents and students with information about online learning opportunities.

Washington Families for Online Learning is an independent, nonprofit grassroots organization that is working to inform policymakers, the media and interested citizens about how online public school programs are the right fit for their children.  For more information on Washington Families for Online Learning go to: http://www.waonlinefamilies.org/home/.

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