The ever-evolving educator: Examining K-12 online teachers in the United States

This chapter reviews the current research on the educational, training, and demographic characteristics of those involved in teaching K-12 online. Although very few colleges of education incorporate any aspect of teaching online into their curricula, the existing online teacher preparation programs are discussed. Past and ongoing research reveals a dramatic disconnect between: (a) the rapidly expanding expectations for and implementation of online education at the K-12 levels and (b) the surprisingly limited extent to which teachers are actually being educated, trained, and otherwise prepared to function in this challenging new educational environment. The implications for teacher education programs and current K-12 virtual schools are clear. Effective online teaching techniques must be defined, empirically proven, and efficiently implemented by both future and current K-12 online teachers.