Celebrating Ten Years

Brad Rathgeber

Back in 2009, a group of girls’ schools got together to create the first online independent school, the Online School for Girls.  The purpose was to connect schools and extend opportunities for students, in a way that was based the values, ethos, challenge, and feel of independent schools — with particular focus on relationships between students and teachers, and students with each other. The goal was to create an online school that wasn’t opposed to the tenets of independent school education, but instead brought those tenets online.

Along the way, the consortium recognized that online education could also be a great extender of opportunities for faculty, and thus the school created online professional development courses.  Later on co-ed schools and boys’ schools asked for similar opportunities. Eventually, the name “Online School for Girls” was not sufficiently encompassing of all of the work of the school. To capture the breadth of the work, the consortium renamed the school:  One Schoolhouse.

What started as an idea with four schools in 2009 quickly spread to twelve schools by the end of that year. In the first year, 50 students enrolled in semester courses, and just a handful of faculty tried to learn online. Ten years later, the network has impressively expanded. In the last year, 664 schools around the world enrolled students in more than 1800 semesters of classes, and 1000 educators in professional development programs.

The idea has been successful. This year, as a part of our 10th Anniversary celebration, we’d like to share with you the secret to that success. So, over the course of this year, we’ll offer 10 insights from 10 years in online independent education. In the process, we’ll offer examples from each insight, ideas on how these insights might hold value for your school, and a glimpse at what this means for the future of independent schools and their work online. Here’s the insights. Look for an in-depth look into the first insight in February.

Use Research to Challenge Assumptions
Design Backwards, Then Measure
Don't Let the Unknown Stop You From Acting
Every Student Learns Differently
Faculty Can Learn Online, Too
Online Learning Supports Financial Sustainability
Learning Online Solves Unique Challenges
Every Student Can Learn Online
Simple Design and Technology Improves Learning
​Choice Increases Student Engagement

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