Hyping Hybrids and Customized Learning
Yep, the reform-bound train has left the station and the diesel is roaring down the track spouting promises of a rosy technological future for public schools. Oops! Delete “schools” and insert “customized services.”
On board the train are cheerleaders (e.g., Tom Vander Ark, Rick Hess, Michael Horn, Paul Peterson, Jonathan Schorr) writing press releases, articles, and books. They tout hybrid and virtual schools (e.g., “New York City’s School of One,” San Jose’s Rocketship schools, San Diego’s “High Tech High,” and the Florida Virtual School) that are in the vanguard of transforming districts and schools into customized service providers.
Techno-centric reformers celebrate the efficiency (less cost and more productivity) and individualized instruction
