Dive Brief:

• 500 students in grades 7-12 at Park Ridge High School in Bergen County, N.J. are trying out one virtual learning day where they stay home from school and instead learn online from their school-provided MacBookAir laptops.
• The move is supposed to help students prepare for the demands of online-only courses that some might take in college, and for jobs that might require e-commuting.
• Schoology platforms are being used, and virtual learning still follows a traditional brick-and-mortar school schedule complete with bells ringing to signify a change of subject.

Dive Insight:

Not every district is able to give Mac computers to every student, and in reality, most are more likely to share one or two devices in the classroom.

Districts considering a virtual day will need to consider accessibility to tech and internet, as well as the demands on parents who might otherwise need to arrange for supervision or childcare. 

E-days can also provide ways to continue learning in the event of an emergency or weather disruption to the normal school week. E-days have replaced snow days for some schools in Indiana and Ohio. They've also been used in Alabama as a way to prevent the elongation of the school year due to teacher development days. 

Still, not much data exists related to the efficacy of e-days.

Recommended Reading

eSchoolNews: Why one district gave students a virtual learning day