Do students learn as well online as in traditional classrooms? As higher education institutions and K-12 districts, business, and nonprofit organizations increasingly look to online course delivery, this is a very critical question. Although raised frequently by college faculty members, school teachers, administrators, and corporate trainers, there has been very little comparative research that might provide answers. There are advocates for and against the increased proliferation of online degrees, courses, and training. The more traditional are convinced that face-to-face instruction is not only superior to online instruction but the only acceptable way to teach and learn. They view online classes as no better than the old-fashioned correspondence courses, despite the inclusion of web-based resources and media technology. They think the upsurge in degrees from online institutions tarnishes the credibility of all of education. Others think that the virtual classroom should supplement and possibly replace face-to-face education. Among them are certainly some seduced by technology without regard to its effectiveness. Others have embraced technology as a way to decrease costs and increase revenues by greater outreach, again without necessary regard for quality. The bottom line is that educators need to know how effective online learning is before increasingly scarce resources are expended. This article describes a recently released study by the U.S. Department of Education, "Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies," which has shed light on this issue. The report concludes that, on average, "students who took all or part of their classes online performed better than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction."