Disruptive Innovation 1

Running head: DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION

Disruptive Innovation: A Review of the iterature
Regarding a Superintendent!s Response to On"ine earning
#ashington State Universit$
%"enn E& 'a"one
Apri"( )**+
Disruptive Innovation )
Introduction
In their re,ent -oo. Disrupting Class( /hristensen( 0orn( and 1ohnson 2)**34 pro5e,t that
-$ the $ear )*16( ten per,ent of a"" instru,tion in our nation!s high s,hoo"s wi"" ta.e p"a,e on"ine
and within 1* $ears( the$ predi,ts 7ore than ha"f of a"" instru,tion wi"" -e de"ivered on"ine& The$
7a.e these -o"d ,"ai7s -ased on resear,h in the -usiness wor"d& The$ studied the patterns of
new and innovative -usiness deve"op7ent that regu"ar"$ e7erges para""e" to traditiona" -usiness
7ode"s& Usua""$ these 7ode"s fi"" a 7issing gap in the 7ar.et without initia""$ ,ausing 7u,h of
threat or disruption to the traditiona" s$ste7s& The new 7ode"s provide an innovation that
i7proves the traditiona" servi,e in wa$s that the 7ar.et does not e8pe,t( t$pi,a""$ -$ -eing
designed for a different set of ,usto7ers& i.ewise( 9:1) on"ine "earning vendors are si7i"ar"$ a
threat to pu-"i, s,hoo" s$ste7s; the$ are su,,essfu""$ ,o7peting for and gaining students at an
sho,.ing rate& This disruptive atta,. on the traditiona" s$ste7 was unanti,ipated and has
-"indsided 7ost s,hoo" distri,ts fro7 an une8pe,ted dire,tion& /hristensen et a"& 2)**34 ,aution
that s,hoo"s had -etter get into the on"ine "earning 7ar.et or ris. "osing a signifi,ant nu7-er of
students to other for:profit providers& This review of the "iterature wi"" e8p"ore the 7ost re,ent
thoughts on the i7pa,t of on"ine "earning on A7eri,an 9:1) edu,ation and the superintendent!s
ro"e in "eading a s,hoo" distri,t during this ti7e of <disruptive innovation=&
The resear,h >uestions e7-edded in this review as.: 0ow do #ashington State
superintendents ,urrent"$ respond to the ,urrent trend of student 7igration out of their distri,ts to
private on"ine options? 0ow do #ashington State superintendents ,urrent"$ spend their "i7ited
resour,es to ,ontend with this ,o7petition? #hat ,hara,teristi,s asso,iated with on"ine "earning
do #ashington State superintendents -e"ieve i7pede or fa,i"itate it -eing used as a via-"e pu-"i,
high s,hoo" a"ternative to the traditiona" high s,hoo" ,"assroo7? The7es have e7erged fro7 the
Disruptive Innovation 6
reading and wi"" for7 the fra7ewor. for this e8a7ination& These the7es in,"ude 9:1) on"ine
"earning effe,tiveness as ,o7pared to traditiona" ,"assroo7 instru,tion( superintendent
te,hno"og$ "eadership( and the disruptive innovation theor$&
Disruptive Innovation @
Organization of the Review
In this review( I des,ri-e findings fro7 the 7ost preva"ent areas of resear,h "iterature
essentia" to investigating the topi, of 9:1) on"ine "earning and a superintendent!s response& The
-od$ of resear,h is growing and in,"udes 7u,h on the effe,tiveness of 9:1) on"ine progra7s -ut
ver$ "itt"e resear,h has -een done on a superintendent!s "eadership in te,hno"og$ and "ess sti""
regarding a superintendent!s response to 9:1) on"ine edu,ation&
In Se,tion 1 I provide a -rief histori,a" ,onte8t on 9:1) on"ine "earning with a fo,us on
#ashington State in,"uding he"pfu" definitions of .e$ ter7s found in the "iterature&
In Se,tion ) I review the theoreti,a" fra7ewor. of disruptive innovation initia""$ provided
-$ /hristensen 21++A4& I spe,ifi,a""$ "oo. at this theor$ in re"ation to 9:1) on"ine "earning
5u8taposed with the need for superintendent "eadership in this area&
In Se,tion 6 I su77ariBe the resear,h fro7 7a5or studies in the 9:1) on"ine arena(
in,"uding a 7eta:ana"$sis of the ,o7parative distan,e edu,ation "iterature -etween 1+3C and
)**) ,o7paring distan,e edu,ation with ,"assroo7 instru,tion 2Dernard et a"&( )**@4& 'oreover(
I e8a7ine one of the 7ost often ,ited studies in 9:1) on"ine "earning; a 7eta:ana"$sis on the
effe,ts of distan,e edu,ation on 9:1) out,o7es 2/avanaugh et a"&( )**@4& In addition( I e8a7ine
a s$nthesis of eight 7ore resear,h pro5e,ts on 9:1) on"ine "earning su-7itted to the North
/entra" Regiona" Edu,ation a-orator$ whi,h is fo,used spe,ifi,a""$ on the issues of on"ine
,ha""enges( s,hoo" ,hange and edu,ationa" refor7 2S7ith( /"ar.( E D"o7e$er( )**C4& Fina""$( I
review the <no signifi,ant differen,e= pheno7ena resear,h -$ Russe"" 2)**)4 and the <overso"d
and underused= ,"ai7s of /u-an 21+3G( )**14&
In Se,tion @ I e8a7ine the ro"e of superintendent in the 9:1) on"ine "earning
environ7ent& Spe,ia""$( I review a >ua"itative stud$ on superintendent ,on,eptions of
Disruptive Innovation C
institutiona" ,onditions that i7pa,t tea,her te,hno"og$ integration 2Shu"d7an( )**@4 and a stud$
of Appa"a,hian Ohio pu-"i, s,hoo" distri,t superintendents and high s,hoo" prin,ipa"s and their
per,eptions of and e8perien,es with on"ine ,ourses 2Ro-ison( )**A4& In addition( I review the
wor. of Augustine:Shaw 2)**14 and her dissertation on on"ine "earning environ7ents in 9ansas!
9:1) pu-"i, s,hoo"s& This wor. provides insight into "eadership perspe,tives and po"i,$ issues
for a superintendent&
In Se,tion C I provide a su77ar$ with ref"e,tion in,"uding spe,ifi, re,o77endations for
superintendents and further resear,h&
Disruptive Innovation G
Section 1: Online Learning in the K-12 Context
Distan,e "earning is not a new pheno7enon in 9:1) s$ste7s& In fa,t( e"e7entar$ and
se,ondar$ students have "earned through the use of e"e,troni, distan,e "earning s$ste7s sin,e the
1+6*!s& It is the deve"op7ent of the on"ine( Internet 7ethod that is new and has ,aused this
re,ent stir&
To -etter understand the on"ine verna,u"ar( "et us e8a7ine the definition of on"ine
"earning and differentiate it fro7 distan,e "earning or distan,e edu,ation& Distan,e edu,ation is
7ost ,o77on"$ defined in the "iterature as for7a" stud$ in whi,h the tea,her and the "earner are
separate in ti7e or spa,e 2S7ith et a"&( )**C4& Distan,e edu,ation in,"udes ,"assroo7s using the
radio( te"evision( and even the posta" servi,e for instru,tion& /orresponden,e ,ourses are a for7
of distan,e edu,ation& #ith this definition $ou ,an see that distan,e edu,ation has -een used for
>uite so7e ti7e( whi"e on"ine "earning on the other hand is uni>ue and re"ative"$ new to
edu,ation& On"ine "earning is a for7 of distan,e edu,ation in whi,h instru,tion and ,ontent are
de"ivered pri7ari"$ via the Internet& On"ine "earning is so7eti7es referred to as #e-:-ased
distan,e "earning in the "iterature&
The re,ent e8p"osion of on"ine "earning in 9:1) edu,ation is a dire,t resu"t of what
Fried7an 2)**C4 ,a""s the perfe,t stor7; the trip"e ,onvergen,e of .e$ fa,tors& The ,reation of
the Internet "ed to our ,urrent g"o-a"( we-:ena-"ed environ7ent that a""ows for 7u"tip"e for7s of
,o""a-oration& This setting further pro7otes the sharing of .now"edge and wor.( without regard
to distan,e( geograph$( or even "anguage& #ith this( new opportunities were ,reated for
individua"s to ,o7pete against an$one( an$ti7e( an$where in the wor"d& The rise of on"ine
te,hno"ogies a""owed innovative entrepreneurs wor"dwide to parti,ipate in a g"o-a" 7ar.etp"a,e
and 9:1) on"ine "earning entrepreneurs were no e8,eption&
Disruptive Innovation A
9:1) on"ine "earning is -ig -usiness and finan,ia""$ profita-"e( 'i,rosoft -i""ionaire Pau"
A""en 5oined the 9:1) on"ine "earning -usiness in 1++A when he founded Ape8 earning( an
on"ine "earning provider that origina""$ -egan offering test preparation and advan,ed p"a,e7ent
,ourses on"ine to high s,hoo" students& Ape8 earning has e8panded to offer over 1** ,ourses
wor"dwide toda$& Sin,e its in,eption Ape8 earning has provided over 1 7i""ion students
,ourses in over @(*** s,hoo" distri,ts& i.ewise( in )*** for7er United States Se,retar$ of
Edu,ation #i""ia7 Dennett started his own 9:1) on"ine "earning -usiness -$ founding 91) In,&;
,urrent"$ our ,ountr$!s "argest 9:1) on"ine "earning provider with a tota" revenue in )**A of over
1@* 7i""ion do""ars& 91) In,& reported that operating in,o7e for the first nine 7onths of fis,a"
$ear )**3 grew C@ per,ent to H16&A 7i""ion( ,o7pared with H3&+ 7i""ion for the first nine 7onths
of fis,a" $ear )**A& Dased in Virginia( 91) In,& ,a7e to #ashington State in )**C as the parent
,o7pan$ for the Stei"a,oo7 S,hoo" Distri,t!s #ashington Virtua" A,ade7$ 2#AVA4 whi,h
,urrent"$ attra,ts over @* students fro7 7$ s,hoo" distri,t a"ong with the H)**(*** in revenue
those students generate&
#ashington!s on"ine progra7s var$ great"$ in their stru,ture and servi,es& So7e are
deve"oped and run -$ distri,t e7p"o$ees the7se"ves whi"e others are operated -$ nonprofits& The
"argest are run -$ pu-"i,"$ traded ,o7panies& In addition to 91) In,& 7entioned ear"ier( AriBona:
-ased Apo""o %roup In,& has partnered with the Iui""a$ute Va""e$ S,hoo" Distri,t to provide
Insight S,hoo" of #ashington whi"e I""inois:-ased DeVr$ In,& has partnered with the 'ar$svi""e
S,hoo" Distri,t to offer Advan,ed A,ade7i, on"ine ,urri,u"u7& A"" are heavi"$( professiona""$
7ar.eted at strategi, ti7es throughout the $ear and as a resu"t are growing at -rea.ne,. speed&
In #ashington State( "egis"ation in )**C paved the wa$ for our state!s rapid on"ine
e8pansion -$ giving on"ine vendors the sa7e per:pupi" funding as traditiona" s,hoo"s& This
Disruptive Innovation 3
"egis"ation ,reated the nation!s "east regu"ated 9:1) on"ine s$ste7 of a"" C* states& The
,onse>uen,e has hit #ashington pu-"i, s,hoo" distri,ts hard( with the "oss of revenue for ea,h
student to the tune of HC(*** per student per $ear& The pro-"e7 is so severe that superintendents
are s,ra7-"ing to add on"ine progra7s to their offerings at a ti7e where 7ost other progra7s are
-eing e"i7inated or redu,ed due to the 7ost drasti,( 9:1) finan,ia" redu,tions our state has ever
seen; whi"e ,o7petition for ,hi"dren and the do""ars that ,o7e with the7 is the fier,est it has
ever -een& 9:1) on"ine "earning providers have seiBed a profita-"e opportunit$ in #ashington to
7eet a need that 7ost s,hoo" distri,ts have "eft un7et&
The ,o7-ined effe,t has "ed to ,on,erns a-out >ua"it$( a,,ounta-i"it$( rapid growth and
the "a,. of oversight and has pro7pted the re:e8a7ination that has "ed to senate -i"" C@1* whi,h
is ,urrent"$ awaiting the governor!s signature& Senate -i"" C@1* esta-"ishes a new"$ ,reated
Offi,e of On"ine earning under the supervision of our state!s Superintendent of Pu-"i,
Instru,tion& 1&6 7i""ion do""ars was re,ent"$ added to the state -udget( and is awaiting fina"
approva" to fund this new"$ ,reated offi,e and the re,o77endations of senate -i"" C@1*& The
hope and $et to -e seen intention of this "egis"ation and this new offi,e is to provide 7u,h
needed oversight& This wi"d( wi"d( west "ands,ape is in desperate need of a trusted sheriff and
7an$ have pinned the -adge of hope on the pro7ises of senate -i"" C@1*& A"" the whi"e
superintendents are fa,ed with a signifi,ant >uandar$; parti,u"ar"$ in "ight of an un,ertain
e,ono7i, future( "oo7ing tea,her "a$offs( and edu,ation ,uts statewide in the -i""ions of do""ars
2Durwe""( )**34&
#ashington!s 9:1) on"ine "earning providers have $et to so"id"$ prove their
effe,tiveness& I ,ou"d find no "iterature spe,ifi, to #ashington State!s 9:1) on"ine "earning
su,,ess& On the ,ontrar$( )**3 data shows -e"ow:average s,ores on the #AS 2#ashington
Disruptive Innovation +
Assess7ent of Student earning4 and a "ow #AS parti,ipation rate at the state!s two "argest
on"ine progra7s& 'oreover( ,ontrovers$ in this rapid"$ deve"oping( "u,rative 7ar.et has
provo.ed negative 7edia attention and 7u,h deserved pu-"i, s,rutin$& In parti,u"ar( two state
"egis"ators and a distri,t superintendent resigned fro7 pu-"i, servi,e to ta.e paid positions with
on"ine:"earning ,o7panies sin,e the new "egis"ation in )**C& In )**3( another ,on,ern a7ong
the unregu"ated 9:1) on"ine vendors surfa,ed when a 9:1) on"ine s,hoo" was so"d in the 7idd"e
of the s,hoo" $ear without the distri,t superintendent!s .now"edge& These issues provo.e 7an$
superintendents to s,rat,h their heads and wonder the appropriate response to the 9:1) on"ine
"earning di"e77a 2Durwe""( )**34&
Despite the ,on,erns and "a,. of eviden,e to support su,,ess( the nu7-ers of ,hi"dren
these progra7s are attra,ting is staggering and growing e8ponentia""$& As pu-"i, s,hoo" entities
the$ offer their produ,t free( so7e offer "aptops and even 7one$ to he"p pa$ for internet
,onne,tion fees& The attra,tion for 7an$ is irresisti-"e& Nationa""$( on"ine enro""7ents in the
United States have grown fro7 an esti7ated @C(*** in )*** to 7ore that a 7i""ion in )**3
2Pi,,iano( )**+4& In 7$ distri,t( we have seen a @*J in,rease in the students "eaving our distri,t
to attend 9:1) on"ine "earning options offered -$ other s,hoo" distri,ts resu"ting in a revenue "oss
approa,hing a >uarter of a 7i""ion do""ars& A report -$ the North A7eri,an /oun,i" for On"ine
earning 2NA/O4 states( as of Septe7-er )**A( @) states had signifi,ant supp"e7enta" on"ine
"earning progra7s 2#atson E R$an( )**A4&
In ,ontrast( Russo 2)**14 reports:
A,,ording to its 7ost ardent proponents( on"ine "earning is the e"i8ir that ,an he"p address
a"" sorts of pro-"e7s fa,ing s,hoo" s$ste7s toda$: tea,her shortage( "i7ited ,ourse
offerings( too 7an$ dropouts( the f"ight to ho7e:s,hoo"ing( "a,. of Advan,ed P"a,e7ent
Disruptive Innovation 1*
,"asses in so7e p"a,es( the need for individua"iBed "earning( ,harter s,hoo" ,o7petition(
poor tea,her >ua"it$ and "a,. of ph$si,a" spa,e& 2p&34
Superintendents toda$ 7ust wrang"e with these new ,o7p"e8 issues and 7a.e fis,a""$
responsi-"e( instru,tiona""$ sound de,isions in areas where 7an$ are i"":e>uipped&
Disruptive Innovation 11
Section 2: Diru!tive Innovation "heor#
/hristensen 21++A4 introdu,ed the disruptive innovation theor$ to e8p"ain the pheno7ena
where a new innovation ,o7es a"ong that ,o7p"ete"$ ,hanges the 7ar.etp"a,e( .no,.ing the o"d
7ar.et "eaders fro7 their per,h and giving rise to new ones& As stated in the introdu,tion( his
theoreti,a" 7ode" is -ased on resear,h in the -usiness wor"d -ut /hristensen et a"& 2)**34 have
7ade re,ent app"i,ations to edu,ation that app"$ dire,t"$ to the 9:1) on"ine "earning fie"d&
Theoreti,a""$( disruptive innovation ,an o,,ur where there are peop"e who want to do so7ething
-ut ,annot a,,ess the avai"a-"e offering&
App"e( for instan,e( su,,essfu""$ introdu,ed its persona" ,o7puter as a to$ for ,hi"dren(
thus not dire,t"$ ,o7peting with DE/ 2Digita" E>uip7ent /orporation4 and other
esta-"ished 7a.ers of 7ainfra7e and 7ini,o7puters& Its 7ar.et was <non:,onsu7ers=:
peop"e not -eing served -$ the -ig 7anufa,turers( and for who7 the a"ternative was
nothing& In so doing( App"e did not provo.e the opposition of the -ig -o$s( and persona"
,o7puters soon f"ourished 2/hu--( )**+( p&G4&
The /hristensen et a"& 2)**34 theor$ suggests on"ine "earning wi"" triu7ph in pu-"i, edu,ation in
the sa7e wa$& 9:1) on"ine s,hoo"s ,an offer advan,ed p"a,e7ent -io"og$( re7edia" reading(
'andarin /hinese or whatever the "o,a" distri,ts are not offering& The$ ,an ,ater to students
who are gifted( "ive in rura" or inner ,it$ areas or need e8tra ,redits for graduation there-$ -etter
7eeting the needs of the underserved& In so doing( 9:1) on"ine s,hoo"s ,an ,o7pete against
nothing& As a resu"t of -udget ,onstraints and parent:student de7and; distri,ts and states wi""
we",o7e these new vendors and wi"" not see the7 as threats to -e snuffed out 2/hristensen et a"&(
)**34&
Disruptive Innovation 1)
In a re,ent interview( arr$ /u-an is s.epti,a" of /hristensen et a"& 2)**34 ,"ai7s& /u-an
asserts that te,hno"ogies have repeated"$ pro7ised 7u,h -ut de"ivered "itt"e -esides the h$pe
2/hu--( )**+4& /hristensen 2)**34 ,ites /u-an!s wor. e8tensive"$ in his "atest -oo. and
o-vious"$ agrees with his ,"ai7s( pointing to the ver$ heart of /u-an!s argu7ent as the i7petus
of the re,ent -oon in 9:1) on"ine "earning and the ensuing tide of disruptive innovation&
/hristensen et a"& 2)**34 theor$ supports a new opportunit$ for an edu,ationa" te,hno"og$ "i.e
on"ine "earning to now have a transfor7ationa" i7pa,t on the 9:1) "ands,ape& /hristensen ,"ai7s
that 7ost of the ,hange fro7 te,hno"og$ wi"" not ,o7e in our traditiona" ,"assroo7 at a""( so
there is no rea" disagree7ent here with /u-an& Instead( the wor. of /hristensen et a"& 2)**34
suggests the ,hange wi"" ,o7e in a new organiBationa" 7ode"( one outside of the traditiona"
,"assroo7 and even outside of pu-"i, edu,ation& The disruptive innovation theor$ is a perfe,t
"ens in whi,h to view this re,ent pheno7enon in our pu-"i, s,hoo"s and it provides e8,e""ent
fodder for superintendents to ,onsider when fa,ed with the o7inous tas. of deter7ining a p"an
of response&
Disruptive Innovation 16
Section $: K-12 Online Learning %ffectivene Reearch: &o Significant Difference
Dernard et a"& 2)**@4 provide a 7eta:ana"$sis of the e7piri,a" "iterature ,o7paring
distan,e edu,ation with ,"assroo7 instru,tion& This 7eta:ana"$sis "oo.ed at )6) ,o7parative
studies -etween 1+3C and )**)& The authors spe,ifi,a""$ "oo.ed at studies addressing the issues
of student a,hieve7ent( attitude and retention& The resear,hers found a 7ean average effe,t siBe
a,ross a"" out,o7es that indi,ated no signifi,ant differen,e a,ross a"" effe,ts& On"ine "earners
s"ight"$ outperfor7ed the traditiona" ,"assroo7 on a,hieve7ent 7easures( whi"e ho"ding si7i"ar
attitudes a-out ,ourses( -ut the$ were a"so "i.e"$ to have "ower ,ourse retention rates& On the
other hand( video,onferen,ing students were outperfor7ed -$ ,onventiona" students and had "ess
positive attitudes than ,onventiona" students& The retention rate was si7i"ar to ,onventiona"
students and higher than that of on"ine students& In the end( the ,on,"usions rea,hed suggest no
signifi,ant differen,e -etween distan,e edu,ation and traditiona" edu,ation&
/avanaugh et a"& 2)**@4 e8a7ined the effe,ts of on"ine edu,ation on the a,ade7i,
out,o7es of students a,ross a range of 9:1) grade "eve"s& It is one of the on"$ 7eta:ana"$sis
spe,ifi,a""$ designed to answer the >uestion of 9:1) on"ine "earning effe,tiveness in ter7s of
a,ade7i, a,hieve7ent& In this stud$( /avanaugh et a"& identif$ 1@ studies ,o7p"eted -etween
1+++ and )**@ that 7et their rigid in,"usion ,riteria& Student a,hieve7ent 7easures served as an
out,o7e varia-"e& The weighed 7ean effe,t siBe was negative -ut near Bero; $et another 7a5or
stud$ indi,ating no signifi,ant differen,e in the effe,tiveness of on"ine over ,onventiona"
"earning&
These two 7eta:ana"$sis studies tend to ,onfir7 the findings of e8tensive ,o7pi"ations(
su,h as Russe""!s 21+++4 annotated -i-"iograph$ of 6CC studies( ranging fro7 /ru7p 21+)34
through studies pu-"ished in 1+++& The$ support the ,on,"usion that distan,e edu,ation is as
Disruptive Innovation 1@
effe,tive as ,onventiona" edu,ation in ter7s of a,ade7i, out,o7es( rather than 7ore or "ess
effe,tive& In other words( resear,h findings suggest there is no signifi,ant differen,e -etween 9:
1) on"ine and traditiona" 7ethods of "earning& In the "iterature this is referred to as the <no
signifi,ant differen,e pheno7ena=&
The no signifi,ant differen,e "iterature ,an -e further interpreted in two wa$s& First( the
no signifi,ant differen,e findings de7onstrate that de"ivering edu,ation at a distan,e does no
har7& Students who se"e,t distan,e de"iver$ are not i77ediate"$ put into a ,o7pro7ised position
si7p"$ -e,ause the$ are not re,eiving their edu,ation in a traditiona" for7at& Se,ond( the no
signifi,ant differen,e findings indi,ate that si7p"$ ,onverting a fa,e to fa,e ,ourse into a
te,hno"og$:7ediated distan,e de"iver$ ,ourse does not he"p i7prove student out,o7es& To
a,hieve gains in student out,o7es( we 7ust do 7ore than 5ust de"iver the ,ourse through a
different 7ediu7 2Russe""( 1+++4&
S7ith et a"& 2)**C4 provide a s$nthesis of eight >uantitative resear,h pro5e,ts with fie"d
-ased( e8peri7enta" and >uasi:e8peri7enta" studies with the intent to provide two:group( fu""$
rando7iBed e8peri7enta" edu,ationa" e8peri7ents& S7ith et a"& 2)**C4 found <the in,reasing use
of on"ine "earning has -een -oth we",o7ed and re-uffed -e,ause it re>uires new wa$s of
thin.ing that ,ha""enge traditiona""$ a,,epted edu,ationa" ,onstru,ts and redefines the notions of
p"a,e and ti7e that histori,a""$ have -een "in.ed to parti,ipation in for7a" edu,ation= 2p& C64&
S7ith et a"& 2)**C4 did provided hope that on"ine "earning <when i7p"e7ented 5udi,ious"$ and
with attention to eviden,ed:-ased pra,ti,es( apparent"$ ,an i7prove student a,ade7i,
perfor7an,e= 2p& CG4&
Disruptive Innovation 1C
Section ': Su!erintendent( Role in Online Learning
%iven this ,"i7ate of "oo7ing disruptive innovation( the resear,h >uestion re7ains; how
shou"d the superintendent respond? Ver$ "itt"e is found in the "iterature on the topi, of the
superintendent!s "eadership through this "ens& In fa,t( the e"e7ent of "eadership and its i7pa,t on
the growth and su,,ess of 9:1) on"ine "earning in the "iterature is 7eager at -est 2Deaudoin(
)**64& A"so 7issing is a theoreti,a" fra7ewor. to guide understanding of 9:1) on"ine "earning
7anage7ent pra,ti,es& The fo,us of the "iterature has -een on pedagogi,a" issues rather than
ad7inistrative 7atters&
A"though not fo,used spe,ifi,a""$ on 9:1) on"ine edu,ation( Shu"d7an 2)**@4 offers this
powerfu" re7inder of the i7portan,e of the ro"e of the superintendent fro7 his >ua"itative wor.:
There is a growing ,onsensus that ad7inistrative support and "eadership are ,ru,ia" to
su,,essfu" i7p"e7entation of instru,tiona" te,hno"ogies( and that the i7portan,e of this
ad7inistrative support is often understated& It has -een suggested that ad7inistrators do
not appear prepared for their e7erging ro"e in te,hno"og$( and their "a,. of understanding
and resour,es so7eti7es ,reates -arriers to ,hange and i7prove7ent& It has -een
o-served that in 7an$ distri,ts( superintendents have re7ained withdrawn fro7 the
te,hno"og$ dis,ussions( "eaving to staff the "eadership ro"es of p"anning and
i7p"e7enting te,hno"og$& This re7oteness ,an have ,onse>uen,es of its own( espe,ia""$
if te,hno"og$ de,isions are "eft to those with 7ore of an interest and e8pertise in the
te,hno"og$& The resu"ts of su,h disregard are often ,ost"$( and ,ou"d resu"t in the "oss of
,ontro" of te,hno"og$ de,isions to those parts of the s$ste7 that do not ho"d a ,urri,u"ar
out"oo.& A"though there is the o,,asiona" stud$ that fo,uses the spot"ight on
Disruptive Innovation 1G
superintendent thin.ing( -ehavior( and "eadership( there is( overa""( "itt"e resear,h on the
superintenden,$ and "ess sti"" on superintendents and te,hno"og$& 2p& 6)14
Superintendents ,an p"a$ a "eadership ro"e in distan,e edu,ation without -eing an e8pert
in the fie"d& 'an$ superintendents have avoided on"ine "earning -e,ause of its "i7itations
in,"uding "earner iso"ation( te,hni,a" g"it,hes( "ower than average ,o7p"etion rates( "a,. of
eva"uative data and o-5e,tions fro7 tea,hers! unions& In addition( there are e>uit$ issues& Not a""
students have a,,ess to a ,o7puter outside of s,hoo"( and parents are not e>ua""$ a-"e to provide
additiona" a,ade7i, support that on"ine "earning ,an re>uire 2Deaudoin( )**64&
Augustine:Shaw 2)**14 surve$ed )G6 9ansas superintendents with an 3AJ response rate
regarding virtua" s,hoo" environ7ents in 9ansas 9:1) pu-"i, s,hoo"s& She high"ights 7an$ of the
issues as we"" as potentia" -enefits of on"ine "earning& 0er resear,h found a nu7-er of ,on,erns
a-out on"ine "earning a7ong s,hoo" superintendents( in,"uding "a,. of fa7i"iarit$( staff
resistan,e( inade>uate state funding( "ost a,,ounta-i"it$ and the -e"ief that so7e distri,ts were
using on"ine progra7s to re,oup revenue "osses fro7 de,"ining attendan,e& She >uoted 7an$
superintendents on their apprehensions and s.epti,is7s& Surprising"$( severa" superintendents
re,o77ended distri,ts not i7p"e7ent virtua" s,hoo"s at a""; and one( showing his ,on,ern a-out
the deve"op7ent of 9:1) on"ine "earning in other distri,ts( e8pressed his desire to -e as.ed
per7ission -efore other distri,ts drive their <virtua" s,hoo" -us= onto his turf& #hi"e another
,andid"$ pointed to funding as the on"$ reason for -eginning an on"ine "earning progra7&
'ore re,ent"$ Ro-ison 2)**A4 7odified the i,.ert:t$pe surve$ of Augustine:Shaw
2)**14 and ,o""e,ted >uantitative data fro7 a"" distri,t superintendents 2NK++4 within the
Appa"a,hian /ounties of Ohio& In that stud$( superintendents reported that on"ine ,ourses shou"d
on"$ -e used as an a"ternative and not a rep"a,e7ent for the traditiona" ,"assroo7& In fa,t(
Disruptive Innovation 1A
responding superintendents showed strong reservations toward using on"ine "earning for an$thing
e8,ept and a"ternative to the traditiona" ,"assroo7& The$ ,ited "a,. of student 7otivation and
"a,. of so,ia" intera,tion as parti,u"ar pro-"e7s with on"ine ,ourses& There was strong senti7ent
that the traditiona" ,"assroo7 is the -est p"a,e for students&
Overa"" the "iterature shows a need for greater superintendent preparation in the -enefits
and ,autions of on"ine "earning& 'an$ superintendents have "ed s,hoo" s$ste7s for de,ades and
this is a ver$ rea" and new threat to the -usiness as usua" 7enta"it$& Fortunate"$( there is a new
-reed of te,hno"ogi,a""$ e>uipped superintendents ta.ing the reigns& There nu7-ers are few( -ut
their i7pa,t and dis,ussions of their su,,essfu" "eadership in this arena are 7entioned regu"ar"$
in the "iterature 2Dearden( )**3; Dushwe""er( )**3; Doughert$( )**3; 9ruger( )**3; Snider(
)**@4&
Disruptive Innovation 13
Section ): Reflection
I ,ou"d find no -o"d ,"ai7s in the "iterature that 9:1) on"ine "earning is an$ -etter that
traditiona" -ri,. and 7ortar "earning& 0owever( the resear,h is una7-iguous that on"ine "earning
does no 7ore har7 and is genera""$ e>ua""$ su,,essfu" to ,onventiona" approa,hes& 'a.e no
7ista.e( the data une>uivo,a""$ shows 7ore and 7ore parents are se"e,ting the on"ine options of
the wor"d over the ,usto7ar$ options of the 9:1) s$ste7 in their neigh-orhood& %iven the
uni>ue needs of ea,h ,hi"d in our 9:1) s$ste7( on"ine "earning appears to 7eet a need for 7an$&
In addition( the data indisputa-"$ shows that this 7assive e8odus has hit s,hoo" distri,t -udgets
hard( "eaving 7an$ superintendents wondering whether to e7-ra,e this disruption or prepare to
fend it off& Ti7e wi"" te""( -ut ,urrent trends support the notion that the disruptive innovation
theor$ ,"ai7s of /hristensen et a"& 2)**34 appear to -e on their wa$ to fu"fi""7ent&
In #ashington State the new Offi,e of On"ine earning has a ta"" order to fi""&
Superintendents are hopefu" that the offi,e wi"" provide the proper oversight to he"p 7itigate the
huge hit 7an$ -udgets are ta.ing as a resu"t of past po"i,$& Advan,ed A,ade7i,s using tea,hers
in O."aho7a wi"" -e providing an on"ine "earning option to the students in 7$ s,hoo" distri,t for
the first ti7e this fa""& Our hope is to retrieve the over )** students that have "eft our s$ste7 -ut
sti"" "ive in our distri,t& Initia""$ we were fis,a""$ 7otivated; the finan,ia" disruption ,aused us to
respond to the un7et needs of our students& This review points to other 7otivations that ,ou"d
and shou"d drive a distri,ts ,hoi,e to ta.e the first step into this une8p"ored territor$& As a resu"t
of this review of the "iterature( I a7 ,onvin,ed and eviden,e supports that 7$ superintendent
7ade the right de,ision to pursue this option&
'$ resear,h >uestions as.: 0ow do #ashington State superintendents ,urrent"$ respond
to the ,urrent trend of student 7igration out of their distri,ts to private on"ine options? 0ow do
Disruptive Innovation 1+
#ashington State superintendents ,urrent"$ spend their "i7ited resour,es to ,ontend with this
,o7petition? #hat ,hara,teristi,s asso,iated with on"ine "earning do #ashington State
superintendents -e"ieve i7pede or fa,i"itate it -eing used as a via-"e pu-"i, high s,hoo"
a"ternative to the traditiona" high s,hoo" ,"assroo7? Other >uestions were pro7pted -$ this
review: #hat 7otivations and -e"iefs guide superintendent de,ision 7a.ing in this regard?
#hat preparation does a superintendent need to respond to this ,ha""enge? The resear,h supports
the need for superintendents to -e parti,u"ar"$ aware and invo"ved in this ,riti,a" de,ision; 7u,h
re7ains to -e seen and "earned& Su,,essfu" superintendents wi"" heed the warning of /hristensen
et a"& 2)**34 and -e proa,tive in deve"oping a response to this disruptive innovation that appears
to have a strong footho"d and is gaining tra,tion&

Disruptive Innovation )*
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