Journal of K-12 Educational Research 17 the actual content provided bureaucratic procedural information related to teachers and staff. Similarly, “Online Course Standards & Criteria” in Performance Group 2 focused on procedural process. Conclusion and Implications In summary, the recurring theme, as asked in RQ1, was the bureaucratic nature of virtual education codes. It focused on defining, starting, and establishing eligibility and enrollment criteria related to virtual education program. While the procedural content of the code may have been successful in creating and establishing virtual schools (as evident by the increased number), it may not be effective in making virtual schools educationally valuable. The current study showed that existing virtual education codes made no significant difference in the performance of virtual schools. Moving forward, the governing bodies of elementary and secondary education, whether at the local or state level, will need to take virtual education programming to the next level. No longer is virtual learning “new” to the K12 sector, nor should it continue to be at the “beginning” stage. Providing bureaucratic guidelines and criteria to establish virtual education programs was needed to start the program, but they cannot sustain the program. More measures are needed to ensure that all stakeholders understand the pedagogical knowledge and how to implement that knowledge in the virtual learning environment, as well as in the traditional learning environment with the integration of technology. In spite of the widely experienced virtual learning in 2020-2021, skepticism still remains, and its effectiveness questioned. It did not help that students, parents, teachers, and administers were thrown into virtual learning environment without proper training or pedagogical understanding. However, one thing that is self-evident or lesson learned from the pandemic is that technology is here to stay. The world relied on it to keep the society moving forward, however small or big, in the midst of a global pandemic. The K12 sector needs to move beyond reluctance and doubt and join the rest of the world in integrating technology into the core of education. Increased understanding of the virtual learning environment and finding research-supported strategies to sustain an effective virtual education program is of the utmost importance. It should be an integral and fundamental part of teaching and learning and not merely an alternative option. Figure 2. Virtual Education Code Topics and Frequency by Number of States
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