Sponsors
This is the ninth annual Keeping Pace report. It is unlikely that when the study was first conceived anyone thought that it would be around nine years later, let alone develop to the point that it has. We are grateful to everyone who has helped along the way, including sponsors, researchers and writers, the schools and agencies across the country that provide the source information, and the people who write or call to tell us that Keeping Pace has helped. As the project has matured, the list of people and organizations involved has grown, and it has become increasingly difficult to acknowledge properly everyone who has been involved over the years.
Still, it is worth remembering that the first Keeping Pace was published in 2004, in response to a request for timely online education policy information from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). Stevan Kalmon, then of the CDE, was a strong advocate for the project and was instrumental in its early development. The report originally was envisioned as a simple document that would be distributed only to the sponsoring organizations, but Cathy Gunn, then of the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory at Learning Point Associates, recognized the work’s larger value and suggested, and then managed, publication and distribution to a wider audience. The four funding organizations in the first year were the CDE, Illinois Virtual High School (IVHS), Learning Point Associates, and Wisconsin Virtual School.
In 2005 Keeping Pace expanded to review all 50 states. The expansion to review the entire country was largely in response to the vision of Matthew Wicks, then of IVHS, who overcame the reluctance of the researchers faced with the daunting task of covering all states.
The cast of Keeping Pace sponsors evolves every year, with the only common thread being that they are educational organizations that share an interest in online and blended learning and that believe current policy and practice information should be available to practitioners and policymakers. Sponsors provide guidance and leadership in planning, research, analysis, and writing. Keeping Pace benefits from the involvement of these experienced and knowledgeable online learning practitioners and their organizations:
Andy Scantland
Advanced Academics
Annie Lewis
Blackboard
Brian Bridges
The California Learning Resource Network
Mickey Revenaugh
Connections Education
Julie Young and Holly Sagues
Florida Virtual School
Allison Powell and Matthew Wicks
International Association for K-12 Online Learning
Jamey Fitzpatrick and Dan Schultz
Michigan Virtual University
Dani Pedrotti and Terri Rowenhorst
NROC
Todd Hitchcock
Pearson
Andy Frost
Edmentum
Lorrie Owens and Christi Harter
San Mateo County Office of Education
Adam Wade and Kelly Schwirzke
Santa Cruz County Office of Education
Barbara Smith and Kate Loughrey
Texas Education Agency
Debbie Kenny and Mark Bucceri
The VHS Collaborative
The educators and policymakers who gave their time to provide the information for Keeping Pace are another set of key contributors to the report. We have been consistently surprised by the amount of time and quality of responses we receive from people around the country; this report would not be possible without their input.
We have made every attempt to ensure accuracy of the information in Keeping Pace, but we recognize that, in a report of this breadth, some errors of accuracy or omission are likely. We welcome comments, clarifications, and suggestions to .moc.1369226922puorg1369226922denee1369226922rgrev1369226922e@nho1369226922j1369226922
