Virtual education, once a niche educational option, has grown in popularity throughout the US (and the world) post-COVID-19. However, the lack of systems and structures in place to implement virtual learning environments during the pandemic left many questioning the validity of virtual education. Now on the other side of the pandemic, NC virtual…

Districts and schools constantly troubleshoot and mitigate new and ongoing challenges. Rather than addressing each challenge ad hoc, they are looking to adopt a systematic, repeatable process proven to diagnose and respond to challenges efficiently and effectively. One such approach with wide application and use in education is a Networked…

This study reviewed 31 articles on parental support and parent-school relationships of K-12 online students. Under the guidance of the Academic Communities of Engagement framework, this literature review explored existing studies on the interactions between online students' personal, course, and school community support. The challenges faced by…

The integration of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies into education holds immense promise. Virtual Reality has the potential of providing an immersive and interactive learning experience, thus allowing students to engage with educational content in a more meaningful way. As it can be customized and developed for different purposes, VR can be…

Background: The rising importance of digital technologies in everyday communication has played a key role in processes of political polarization and rising mistrust and intolerance. We suggest this crisis could be productively conceptualized as a crisis in perspective-taking--the tendency and competency to actively consider others' mental and…

Research on the digital divide in sub-Saharan education needs an overview of its conceptual developments and practices since the studies in the field of the digital divide emerged and were established around the mid-1990s. The present systematic literature review fills such a gap by using mixed methods to analyse three aspects of research on the…

The problem this qualitative case study addressed is how poor online teacher communication has resulted in students enrolled in full-time virtual schools underperforming academically with assignment completion. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions of how their online communication strategies contribute to the timeliness…

Given rising levels of social isolation, disconnection, and concerns about mental health, the learning needs of many students today must also address their minds and hearts. Online learning environments particularly need to use technology to skillfully bridge gaps in connection. Mindfulness practices that involve focusing awareness on oneself in…

Amid the imperative call for using digital artwork images and e-learning activities in planning and delivering the art curriculum heightened by rapid technological development and COVID-19, we propose a visual arts teacher-curator pedagogy and investigate its effectiveness in Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools. The pedagogy is set out to…

This study aimed to explore the extent to which two digital reading programs used in Georgia did or did not fully align with Georgia's instructional reading standards. Many commercial curricula do not appear to effectively support students in demonstrating reading proficiency as measured by state and national assessment outcomes. Therefore, this…

This exploratory sequential mixed methods study examines the contemporary usage of online education in rural, K-12 settings, as well as explores the relationship between Internet connectivity, smartphone use, and rural, K-12 online education in the United States. The following general research questions were explored: (1) How are rural K-12…

Virtual learning has been used by K-12 education for decades but has recently been on the rise as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. School districts have found this mode of instruction to be very effective as it offers a personalized approach with greater flexibility for certain learners. This professional practice dissertation discussed the…

In March 2020, schools worldwide suddenly and dramatically transitioned to online learning. This article describes a case study where we used a purposeful sampling of six technology-savvy school principals to explore their experiences with student assessment of learning during the pandemic. Findings captured how these tech-savvy leaders supported…

Despite repeated warnings from K-12 online learning scholars, media, and U.S. government bodies about the need for teacher readiness in the face of school disruptions like COVID-19, teacher education programs have largely fallen short in preparing educators for effective online and blended teaching during extended school closures. In this paper,…

Rapid advancements in technology have led to Digital Technologies (DT) playing an increasingly prominent role in the digital transformation of education, prompting national and international educational policies to prioritize the embedding of DT in teaching and learning. However, this technological progress has simultaneously exposed a digital…