Dive Brief:

• Equal Scrutiny: Privatization and Accountability in Digital Education, out this month, analyzes how public schools are being pressured to purchase digital learning programs even though the evidence supporting these services is questionable.  
• The authors, Professors Patricia Burch and Annalee Good, argue that digital learning could be effective, but accountability measures must be created first.  
• The professors spent three years researching districts across the United States that had implemented virtual schooling and learning platforms in various capacities.  

Dive Insight:

The authors not only delve into the pressure to purchase these online programs, but how online learning programs vary in quality depending on a district's socio-economic status.  

“The digital education being sold to disadvantaged communities generally does not equate with expanded learning opportunities,” Burch, a University of Southern California professor, told USC News. “For example, a company may decide for reasons of cost not to have a live teacher, leaving children and their families without the supports they need to master content.”

The authors ultimately argue that the United States should not be rushing into the virtual learning world, but rather entering at a slower pace while creating more opportunities for transparency and accountability.