It’s no secret that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has for one of its goals, the privatization (colonization) of public education. It’s no secret that their task force for education policy is routinely co-chaired by leaders from the education technology industry (i.e. Connections Academy). It’s no secret that the education technology industry anticipates the promise of billions of dollars of profits delivering “public education” services.
As Lee Fang says in The Nation “Venture capitalists and for-profit firms are salivating over the exploding $788.7 billion market in K-12 education.”
Meet iNACOL … aka International Association for K12 Online Learning. It is the most influential education technology trade group today. Their Board of Directors includes Mickey Revenaugh, Executive Vice President of Connections Academy. She is also former Chair for the ALEC education task force.
As Emily Talmage discovered, iNACOL is a “Trojan horse” for education reform (see minute 1:48).
iNACOL also appears to be the delivery boy (or Trojan horse) for ALEC. Just look at the two screen shots from this 2013 webinar they hosted on the future of technology in education policy entitled “Inacol-2013-02-13-federal-and-state-policy-what-is-needed-for-digital-learning”
(click to enlarge)
Curiously, the title of the state bills in these screen shots, which iNACOL promotes as positive change, have titles identical to ALEC model legislation:
- Just like Utah see ALEC model bill called “Statewide Online Education Act”
- Just like Texas and Louisiana see ALEC model legislation “Course Choice Program Act”
The ALEC bill states: “The Course Choice Program created by this Act would allow students in public schools and public charter schools to enroll in online, blended, and face-to-face courses not offered by the student’s school, and would allow a portion of that student’s funding to flow to the course provider. This Act creates an authorization process for providers and identifies provider and course eligibility criteria.”
- Look at that bill in Maine. Here’s what Emily Talmage has to say about the online education bills being pushed there: “In Maine, we are witnessing this very experiment take place in our schools in the form of proficiency-based learning. The Nellie Mae report writes, ‘Schools and districts are developing increasingly mature competency-based pathways and approaches that others can study and potentially replicate.’ States that have not adopted proficiency-based learning will look in the future to data gathered from students and schools in Maine when deciding whether or not to adopt similar legislation to LD 1422.“
And how about the Governor’s Digital Learning Task Force in Georgia? It too has an evil twin:
In 2010, the Foundation for Excellence in Education convened the Digital Learning Council, a diverse group of more than 100 leaders in education, government, philanthropy, business, technology and members of policy think tanks led by Co Chairmen Jeb Bush, and Bob Wise. The 10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning were released at this 2010 National Summit on Education Reform. It’s an ALEC model-endorsed comprehensive framework of state-level policies and actions “designed to advance the meaningful and thoughtful integration of technology into K12 public education”
| 10 Elements draft by Jeb and Bob | ALEC’s adopted model legislation |
| Customization and Success for All Students: All students should be able to access digital learning to customize their education to achieve academic success.
Student Access: All students are digital learners. Barriers to Access: All students have access to high quality digital learning. Personalized Learning: All students can use digital learning to customize their education. Advancement: All students progress based on demonstrated competency. • A Robust Offering of High Quality Options: To effectively customize education, students must be able to choose from an array of rigorous and effective schools and courses. Quality Content: Digital content and courses are high quality. Quality Instruction: Digital instruction is high quality. Quality Choices: All students have access to multiple high quality digital learning providers.
Assessment and Accountability: Student learning is the metric for evaluating the quality of content, courses, schools and instruction. • 21st Century Infrastructure: Education must be modernize to ensure students have access to sustained digital learning.
Funding: Funding provides incentives for performance, options and innovations.
Infrastructure: Infrastructure supports digital learning
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WHEREAS, academic success in the 21st century, and therefore the future of our state’s economy, is contingent upon our students’ access to high-quality K-12 education; and
WHEREAS, today’s students have access to the internet, technology and devices unavailable to previous generations; and WHEREAS, excellent educational resources are becoming abundant in digital form, such as online and blended learning opportunities; and WHEREAS, the primary barriers preventing our students from accessing these high-quality digital learning opportunities are outdated state statutes and policies; and WHEREAS, this Legislature understands the urgent need for its leadership in removing the policy barriers standing between our children and the digital learning opportunities that can ensure their success, and our state’s, in this Information Age; and WHEREAS, in August 2010, Governors Jeb Bush and Robert Wise launched the Digital Learning Council with leaders in education, government, philanthropy, business, technology and think tanks to define the actions that lawmakers and policymakers must take to spark a revolution in K-12 digital learning with their actions resulting in the creation of the 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning; and WHEREAS, it is the intent of this Resolution that the 10 Elements be used as a framework from which to draft legislation specific to each state’s needs and not a mandate on any one body; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that [State] adopts the Digital Learning Council’s 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning, as hereby presented. It is the will of the Legislature that the Elements be incorporated as necessary through future legislation as well as immediate state regulation, strategic planning, guidelines and/or procedures on the part of the [State Education Agency], local education agencies, and any other relevant public or private bodies. Digital Learning Council’s 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning 1. Student eligibility: All students are digital learners. 2. Student access: All students have access to high-quality digital content and online courses. 3. Personalized learning: All students can customize their education using digital content through an approved digital learning provider. 4. Advancement: Students progress based on demonstrated competency. 5. Content: Digital content, instructional materials, and online and blended learning courses are high quality. 6. Instruction: Digital instruction and teachers are high quality. 7. Digital learning providers: All students have access to multiple high-quality digital learning providers. 8. Assessment and accountability: Student learning is one method of evaluating the quality of content and instruction. 9. Funding: Funding creates incentives for performance, options, and innovation. 10. Delivery: Infrastructure supports digital learning. Approved by ALEC Board of Directors on September 16, 2011.
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As for the “model” policies iNACOL is promoting from PA and MN? One only need to read the 2011 ALEC Annual Conference Substantive Agenda on Education which states:
“…the Task Force voted on several proposed bills and resolutions, with topics including: digital learning, the Common Core State Standards, charter schools, curriculum on free enterprise, taxpayers’ savings grants, amendments to the existing model legislation on higher education accountability, and a comprehensive bill that incorporates many components of the landmark school reforms Indiana passed this legislative session. Attendees will hear a presentation on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ initiative to grow great schools, as well as one on innovations in higher education.”
Look closely as the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) takes hold and changes begin to take place. The new ESSA favors alternative teacher preparation and creates new funding streams for online education platforms and charter schools.
So…what’s in YOUR state?
Visit more about the ALEC Education Task Force here.
educationalchemy 
What does this even mean? “8. Assessment and accountability: Student learning is one method of evaluating the quality of content and instruction.”