by Kevin Dellicker

The PA Hybrid Learning Institute (PA HLI) is a new group of educators from across Pennsylvania organized to promote transformational blended learning models in mainstream schools. Launched in 2011 with seed financing from public and private organizations including Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 and Dellicker Strategies, PA HLI currently oversees the most extensive hybrid learning pilot program in the nation.

The term “hybrid learning” was coined by the Clayton Christensen Institute to describe new blended models that provide personalized instruction to students in traditional school settings. In contrast to more “disruptive” models that create entirely new systems and structures, hybrid models improve existing schools by providing careful combinations of traditional teaching and new technologies.

When implemented correctly, hybrid learning can have an immediate positive impact on student performance. During the 2012-13 academic year, PA HLI tracked the outcomes of the first 15 hybrid learning pilot programs in Pennsylvania. The team collected and analyzed information from 2,197 students, 86 teachers and 84 parents. It also reviewed state achievement data and academic growth reports where applicable and available.