BRISTOL, Tenn. – Tennessee High School Assistant Principal Blair Henley admits that when he was first assigned to make Bristol’s school district a regional leader for online learning, the early results were humbling.
“It wasn’t smooth, instant success,” Henley said. “When we started, only 40 percent of the students who started [an online] course would actually finish it.”
Some three years later – with 97 percent of students completing their online classes and 71 students across Northeast Tennessee taking “eLearning” courses this summer alone – Henley sees a promising present and future.
“I think eLearning has become an area that’s set to explode here,” he said.
Henley was recently promoted to regional distance learning coordinator by the Bristol school district and the Niswonger Foundation, a Greeneville, Tenn.-based nonprofit organization that promotes education across Tennessee.
He will take on the new role along with his current duties at Tennessee High. The Niswonger Foundation will provide some financial support for Henley’s dual roles.
“ELearning has just taken off in popularity because it’s a creative way to offer students more access to learning,” said Linda Irwin, the Niswonger Foundation’s director of school partnerships.
“We’ve gotten so many requests across the state to help other school districts take advantage of it, and Blair has the ability to do that well,” she said.
As part of his new title, Henley will help various school districts across the state develop or expand their online offerings.
The eventual goal is to have school systems across Tennessee offering their own, individualized eLearning programs, while also teaming up with Bristol on occasion for various distance-learning projects.
“As more districts develop the capability to expand educational opportunities through distance-learning systems, it becomes possible to share resources and expertise, which increases learning capacity for all,” Gary Lilly, Bristol’s director of schools, wrote in an e-mail.
Henley agreed and said sharing Bristol’s know-how will dramatically benefit students across Tennessee, especially those in smaller rural areas.
“Like anything else, when you can have 10 avenues for something instead of one, you can do more and do it in a more cost-effective way,” Henley said.
During the past few years, the Bristol district and Niswonger Foundation have worked together to gradually build a curriculum of 30 online-learning courses. The courses, which cost $100 each, range from basic math and physical science to cosmetology theory and advanced-placement English.
The classes are available to middle- and high-school students throughout Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District, which spans from the Tri-Cities to Morristown and Gatlinburg.
As assistant principal, Henley has been responsible for the school’s technology programs for some time. Because of his experience, plus Bristol’s extensive computer and technical resources, the school district has served as the main hub for the eLearning program throughout the district.
To date, more than 1,000 students across Northeast Tennessee have completed eLearning classes. And among Tennessee High’s class of 2010, nearly 20 percent of the graduates took at least one online course during their final two years.
“ELearning has really made a difference already,” Henley said. “I’m hoping to use this new role to help it do even more.”
rbrown@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2512
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