Statewide Cybersolutions: WASHINGTON

A major artery in the lifeblood of the region's technology economy, Washington state has done much to employ technology in the service of education. But in 2002, mid-way through what would be his last term, former Governor Gary Locke wished that technology could do still more to carry education higher and farther. He wanted, in fact, to turn Washington into a "magnet of innovation in digital learning."

Already, there were a growing number of K-12 online schools and programs in the state operating out of school districts and colleges. The state's six-year-old K-20 Educational Telecommunications Network (K-20 Network), a robust telecommunications backbone linking schools, colleges, universities, and libraries to the Internet and videoconferencing capabilities, was a shining success. At the time, about one-quarter of Washington's high schools had students enrolling in online courses, delivered via the K-20 Network. And the network had become one of the first in the nation to be connected to Internet2, the high-performance next-generation Internet.

Yet, Washington's array of online education resources seemed to be all over the map, with programs being developed and operated in isolation from one another. Locke believed there needed to be a central clearinghouse that could point teachers, students, parents, and others to all of the rich opportunities there were for online learning in Washington.

Kicking off the Washington State Digital Education Initiative, Locke brought together educators, technology experts, and policymakers to formulate a pilot project. The result is the Digital Learning Commons (DLC), a Web-based portal to digital resources and learning tools for students and teachers, including some 250 online courses.

The governor allocated $2 million in state funds to go along with $3 million contributed by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Piloted in 28 school districts, the DLC is now poised to fledge. In 2005, it will open to all schools in the state and will be expected to become self-supporting by charging tuition and fees. Established as a private nonprofit organization, it operates out of the University of Washington with staff provided by the UW as well as the Technology Alliance.

One of the biggest participants in the DLC is the six-year-old Federal Way Internet Academy. Sponsored by the Federal Way School District, the Internet Academy is one of the state's oldest online providers and the only K-12 public school provider participating in the pilot phase of the DLC. Washington-certified instructors teach a full range of core and elective courses, last year serving 1,000 students around the state—80 percent of them living outside the Federal Way School District.

— Denise Jarrett Weeks

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