Distance Education in Georgia's Public School Districts: Baseline Data on Utilization and the Perceived Barriers to Implementation and Expansion

Overview & Synopsis

Interest in distance education, particularly online education, is increasing in public school districts throughout the United States. In an effort to aid those who are involved in the planning and administration of K-12 distance education programs in Georgia, the authors sought to gather and report baseline data on the current utilization of distance education courses in Georgia's K-12 public school districts, and to determine the perceived barriers to the implementation and expansion of distance education programs in Georgia. The authors' findings indicated that K-12 distance education enrollments in Georgia have increased over the past five school years, and asynchronous Internetbased courses are the primary course delivery model that exists. In addition, the authors found that costs and/or funding issues were the most frequently chosen barriers to the implementation and expansion of distance education courses.