iNACOL Hosts 2011 Virtual School Symposium in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--More than 1,800 educators, school administrators and education policy leaders from across the U.S. and internationally are expected this week in Indianapolis for the Virtual School Symposium (VSS), the annual conference of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL). The symposium, which will be held November 9-11 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis, is the largest annual event focused on K-12 online and blended learning.

“Online learning for primary and secondary students is growing at an astonishing speed”

“Online learning for primary and secondary students is growing at an astonishing speed,” said Susan Patrick, iNACOL president and CEO. “It is the fastest innovation in education, and in the U.S. alone, millions of K-12 students are enrolled in online and blended courses that offer challenging coursework and ‘anytime, anyplace’ instruction. Online learning is widely seen as a solution to enable teachers to personalize instruction for today’s students, provide engaging content and one-on-one interventions, and offer greater access to diverse curriculum and courses, particularly during a time of serious financial pressures faced by school districts across the country.”

The VSS conference program (full details at www.virtualschoolsymposium.org) includes trends, analysis and research. Session highlights include pre-conference workshops on November 9, which will provide working sessions for online and blended learning models; how-to sessions on starting online learning programs; and best practices on evaluation.

Keynote speakers on November 10 and 11 include renowned national experts Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers; Paul Peterson of Harvard University; Michael Horn, author of Disrupting Class; Steve Midgley of the U.S. Department of Education; and iNACOL president Susan Patrick.

iNACOL and allied organizations are also expected to release several new reports on U.S. and international growth of K-12 online learning as well as critical trends in the field.

Advanced online registrations are closed, but on-site registration is available. Credentialed media are welcome to register and attend free of charge.

About iNACOL

iNACOL is the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership association based in the Washington, DC area with more than 3,800 members. iNACOL is unique in that its members represent a diverse cross-section of K-12 education from school districts, charter schools, state education agencies, non-profit organizations, colleges, universities and research institutions, corporate entities and other content and technology providers (www.inacol.org).