Blended=learning experts Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker discuss the policies prohibiting and fostering the growth of blended learning. For example, in the U.S., an access barrier exists in states that do not provide any route for students to earn credits online. at the other end of the continuum, some states are creating policies that support not only self-blending– that is, students take online courses on their own while also attending a brick-and-mortar school–but also the development of student-centric whole-school blended models.