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Virtual schools booming as states mull warnings
iNACOL acknowledges that states need to do a better job overseeing online schools.
More schoolchildren than ever are taking their classes online, using technology to avoid long commutes to school, add courses they wouldn’t otherwise be able to take—and save their school districts money.
But as states pour money into virtual classrooms, with an estimated 200,000 virtual K-12 students in 40 states from Washington to Wisconsin, educators are raising questions about virtual learning. States are taking halting steps to increase oversight, but regulation isn’t moving nearly as fast as the virtual school boom.
The virtual learning debate pits traditional education backers, including teachers’ unions, against lawmakers tempted by the promise of cheaper online schools and school-choice advocates who believe private companies will apply cutting-edge technology to education.
Is online education as good as face-to-face teaching?
Virtual learning companies tout a 2009 research review conducted for the U.S. Department of Education that showed K-12 students did as well or better in online learning conditions as in a traditional classroom.
But critics say most studies, including many in that 2009 review, used results from students taking only some—but not all—of their courses online. They also point out wide gaps in state oversight to ensure students, and not their parents or tutors, are actually completing tests and coursework.
For more news on virtual learning, see:
How to start a successful virtual learning program
Annual report reveals online learning’s rapid rise
More states look to online learning for students
Still, virtual learning at the K-12 level is booming. For example, one of the nation’s largest for-profit online education providers, Virginia-based K12 Inc., saw its earnings more than double in the first quarter of this year, fueled in large part by a 42-percent enrollment spike.
“Online learning is the future of American education. Precisely because it’s so transforming, it’s threatening to the established institutions,” said Terry Moe, a political scientist at Stanford University who studies the online school boom.
The conflict has boiled over in Colorado, which expects to spend $85 million this year educating some 14,200 students online. The state’s online school industry is growing by double digits a year, bankrolled by a state government that pays private companies to teach students as young as kindergarten entirely via computer with limited oversight.
3 Responses to Virtual schools booming as states mull warnings
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kevinsmith5
December 19, 2011 at 3:47 pm
“They’ll be going to a physical location, but computers will do 80 percent of the teaching.”
Quotes like that are the problem, no one is talking about “computers teaching”. The computers are just a new medium for delivering the live teachers.
jaleist
January 31, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Upon reading the article “Virtual Schools Boom As States Mull Warnings,” I reflected on the various facts and viewpoints expressed in article. Indeed, online learning has become very popular and I wholeheartedly agree with the viewpoint that it can be very beneficial to students and that it can be a method of concern if not administered effectively.
In developing the EVSC Virtual Academy – which began in June 2010 – we have learned that the most effective and successful virtual education occurs when there is a committed student, parent AND teacher involved. Our accredited online curriculum offers Core 40, Honors, and Advanced Placement to any student in the region. However, we believe it is vitally important to the student’s success for the partnership of teacher, student, and parent to occur. Many online learning programs have very high student to teacher ratios and there is little or no interaction between the two. We feel this contributes to a very low success rate for students.
This is not the case in EVSC’s program. Our teachers and students work together through email and personal study sessions to tackle the challenging assignments and assessments required to achieve mastery of the lessons and the course. In the last 18 months, we have observed more than 200 students grow to become organized and independent learners and achieve credits in an online course. We provide regular progress updates and words of encouragement and celebration throughout the day and evening hours in which our students work on their courses. When asked what characteristics an online student must have, our students express the importance of self-discipline, organization skills and time management. Our experience shows that students will thrive in the online classroom with support and encouragement from their teachers, parents, and mentors.
As online classes grow in popularity, it is important to establish programs which have effective oversight in order to provide meaningful experiences for students today and in the future.
Janet Leistner, Director
EVSC Virtual Academy
jaleist
January 31, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Indeed, online learning has become very popular and I wholeheartedly agree with the viewpoint that it can be very beneficial to students and that it can be a method of concern if not administered effectively.
We have learned that the most effective and successful virtual education occurs when there is a committed student, parent AND teacher involved. Many online learning programs have very high student to teacher ratios and there is little or no interaction between the two. We feel this contributes to a very low success rate for students.
Our experience shows that students will thrive in the online classroom with support and encouragement from their teachers, parents, and mentors.
Janet Leistner
EVSC Virtual Academy