Instructional+Models

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__Blended Learning__


What Is It?
 Blended learning is defined as a combination of face to face and instructional online strategies. Blended learning does not occur simply by adding a few online strategies to a traditional classroom. Successful blended learning requires an integrated approach (Zenger and Uehlein, 2001). The blend of methods should depend upon the needs of the students and the school.

===Why Use It? ===
 * Blended learning allows teachers and schools to address a variety of learning styles with a variation of instructional methods (Wiffin, 2002).
 * Several researchers have concluded that blended learning practices in the K-12 environment increase student motivation (Berson, 1996;Lipscomb, 2003; Pye & Sullivan, 2001; Scheidet, 2003; Wellman & Flores, 2002; Yang, Chen,N.S., Chen, A.S., 2002).


 * An additional reported benefit of blended learning is a higher level of interaction than commonly experienced in face to face courses. (Dziuban, Hartman, & Moskal, 2004; Waddoups & Howell, 2002; Wingard, 2004). The interaction tools available online and in most course management systems combined with the asynchronous structure result in a highly effective computer mediated communication environment. They also facilitate access to materials and experts that might not otherwise be available.
 * Osguthorpe and Graham (2003) identify 6 major benefits of blended learning:


 * 1. pedagogical richness
 * 2. access to knowledge
 * 3. social interaction
 * 4. personal agency
 * 5. cost effectiveness
 * 6. ease of revision
 * Blended learning allows for more personalized instruction.
 * Blended learning allows for creative approaches to staffing and the use of physical space.

===How do you implement it? ===
 * Graham (2006) organizes blended learning from a value-add perspective into 3 blends:


 * <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;">Enabling blend - responds to the current student generation and their need for access, convenience, and flexibility
 * Enhancing blend - recognizes the potential of blended learning as a means to augment and improve learning
 * Transforming blend - changes in a fundamental way the teaching and learning process and the underlying pedagogy
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We have adapted Michael Horn's 4 clusters or models of blended learning:

//<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10.6667px;">*Pending policy clarification regarding students’ physical attendance. // ||
 * **Integration Model** || **Description** ||
 * **Flex** || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Most of the curriculum delivered through an online platform with <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">teachers providing on-site support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed basis through in-person tutoring sessions and small group sessions. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;"> | Requires that students have constant and consistent access to equipment, ideally in a 1:1 setting. ||
 * **Rotation** || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Within a given course or subject, students rotate between learning online and learning offline (face to face) | Requires that students have regular access to equipment, but not daily. ||
 * **Self-Blend** || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Students take one or more courses entirely online in addition to their traditional f2f courses; students may take the online courses on or off site of the school campus | Requires that students have regular access to equipment on and/or off site. ||
 * **Remote** || Most of the curriculum is delivered via an online platform; students learn some of the time on campus and some of the time off campus | Requires that students have regular access to equipment on and/or off site.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What challenges might you encounter?
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">a lack of technological infrastructure (ensuring participants have the needed hardware, software, and bandwidth)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">technology skill level of learners and facilitators
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">requires a culture shift (change in the role of the student and teacher)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">blended learning places more responsibility on the learner and some learners may not be accustomed to this type of independent
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">blended learning requires an intentional approach in instructional design so that the program is blended in design and not just delivery
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">instructors need to be familiar with online teaching strategies and facilitation skills
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">instructors must learn to integrate methods of assessing student learning within the context of blended learning

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are some possible solutions?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What Is It?

 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Online learning in iLearnNYC is defined as when all teaching and learning activities occur in an online environment both synchronously and asynchronously with an iLearnNYC-school based teacher. There can be a continuum of teacher-student and student-student interaction in online models.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why Use It?

 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This model can help a school offer additional courses to students outside of the restrictions of the traditional school day. Whereas traditionally a school might not be able to offer courses to a few students wishing to take a particular course because there isn’t enough demand to fill a classroom and justify the cost of a teacher, online courses can be used to make more classes available even where demand at a single school is low.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Online learning also lends itself to students moving at their own paces through academic content and make it possible for students to earn credit regardless of traditional seat time requirements (i.e. 54 hours).
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As what it means to be college and career ready has changed radically in the last decade, online learning facilitates students becoming “21st century literate,” collaborating with others and creating knowledge rather than consuming it.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Student and teacher data, including academic progress and time on task, is transparent to administrators

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How do you implement it?
=== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What problems might you encounter in implementing each model? ===
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Decide what students academic needs are and how online learning can support those needs
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Identify where the teacher will come from: the students’ own school or from another school
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ensure teachers teaching an online course have participated in professional development workshops to support the pedagogical shift online learning effects
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ensure students have an orientation in the learning environment, including clarity on how communication and collaboration mechanisms work
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Move slowly in the beginning as both teachers and students get acclimated to a new learning environment


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">School stakeholders (students, teachers, administrators, parents) don’t necessarily have a clear expectation for what constitutes successful online learning
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solutions: Schools are advised to establish an iLearnNYC committee at their schools with representatives from the school community to raise questions about what online learning will look like in their school with respect to their unique mission. It’s never too late to establish such a committee and there are many useful resource online to assist. Networks can also be of assistance in facilitating initial meetings
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Getting students logged into the learning environment and comfortable in their online course takes more time than anticipated
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solutions: School are advised to plan out with great care and time their process for ensuring students can access their courses. Additional support for log-in issues is available by calling our Support Desk at 1-800-XXXXXXX or by visiting our active support community at www.izoneshare.org
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Communication channels are not well-established prior to the course beginning, or, users are slow to understand how communication and accountability occurs
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solutions: Establish a clear communication protocol that includes students, teachers, families, and administration. Monitor the effectiveness of this communication protocol very closely for the first few months to ensure its successful adoption
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Course content is sometimes perceived as less rigorous than a teacher would have created himself or herself
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solutions: Work with teachers to identify where specifically they perceive curricular gaps and develop a plan for filling in those gaps using various resources, which might include previous lessons they have created or online resources.

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.

__Centralized Teacher Model__

 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are some of the things that you need to ask if you are an IM talking to a school that has students taking a centrally taught course.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Where are the students going to work on the course?
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Who is going to supervise the students?
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When will they be taking the course?
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Will students have access to a phone if they need to talk directly to the assigned teacher?
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Will students be able to work outside of school?
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How are you selecting students to take these courses?
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What benchmarks for a successful online course do you think will need to be addressed?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What Is It?

 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A distributed model of instruction in which the student and the teacher are separated geographically, and interaction between student and teacher is done through electronic means (phone, email, online, etc) and can be either synchronous or asynchronous.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why Use It?

 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This model is used mostly to increase the curricular offerings that a school can make available to its students, either to solve for not having a teacher in a certain area, offer courses with low student demand, or solve scheduling issues.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The ability to have a core team of fully dedicated online teachers will lead to higher quality instruction for the majority of the students taking classes through iLearnNYC, make teachers available to students for 1-1 assistance and synchronous web-based instructional sessions during the school day, streamline supervision, and allow for Professional Development that focuses on the pedagogy of online instruction.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Student achievement and progress towards completion is transparent and easy to track
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Student data is robust

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How do you implement it?
=== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What problems might you encounter in implementing each model? ===
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students can access classes either in school setting or outside of school
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In school setting can be in a classroom or lab setting with a responsible adult supervising physical space, but not providing direct instruction


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lack of student motivation or engagement
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solutions-Have deadlines or milestones to help keep students on track
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Teach students time management skills specific to online learning
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Provide ways to extrinsically motivate students for staying on track with courses
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Infrequent communication between student and teacher
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solutions-Develop protocols for teacher-student interaction
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Establish response requirements for answering emails, grading assignments, etc
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use synchronous tools as part of the teaching routine (elluminate)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use discussion boards in the teaching of the class
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Any time, any pace model does not suit all students
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solution- Schools need to make informed decisions around which students are best suited for taking these more independent courses
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Consider using an online learning readiness assessment
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not having properly trained staff member to supervise and or facilitate the physical learning environment
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solution- Make sure all staff members who are facilitating student learning attend staff development pertaining to working with students taking online courses in a distributed models
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Questions/concerns around academic integrity
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solution-Use plagiarism software
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have proctored exams
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other considerations
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vendor selection should come at central level so central teachers can become expert in a narrow set of courses
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">School requests need to be examined to determine what subject areas we need to hire staff for