“This book is an amazing collection of wisdom and actual strategies from many of the pioneers in K–12 online education…. You will walk away armed with new ideas and energized by the possibilities for kids.”
— From the Foreword by Julie Young, President and CEO of the Florida Virtual School

This important volume features contributions by top virtual school practitioners and experts in the field who talk about what virtual schools can do to plan for success. If you are interested in the details of launching virtual learning options for your school, district, region, or state, you likely have more questions than answers. Where do I begin? What kind of personnel will I need? What providers and resources are available to me? How do I hire and train teachers? What are the costs involved? This authoritative volume will answer these questions and many more.

Providing an overview of virtual schooling and e-learning, along with detailed case studies and issues chapters, this essential volume features:

• Chapters written by real practitioners in the field, who describe their programs, explain how they made them a success, and share proven techniques they learned along the way.
• Practical guidance and a brief “plan for success” roadmap for local schools interested in starting a virtual learning program.
• Chapters by leading experts on key aspects of virtual learning, useful to planners and those who simply want to better understand the virtual school phenomenon.

Contributors: Ruth Adams, Jason D. Baker, Robert L. Blomeyer, Jr., Cathy Bouras, Linda Cavalluzzo, Richard Chamberlain, Matt Dawson, Gordon Freedman, Bruce Friend, Susan M. Hartwig, Francisco J. Hernandez, Sharon Johnston, Allan Jordan, Earlene R. McNair, Liz Pape Carol Ribeiro, Michael Simonson, Kristi Smalley, Ronald Stefanski, and Charalambos Vrasidas

Zane L. Berge is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Tom Clark is President of TA Consulting, an Illinois-based firm that provides research and evaluation services for business, education, and government.