Virtual School Gaining Ground

Around the US, virtual online schools are allowing students much broader choices of curricula, providing the possiblity of "personalised" education for self-starting, ambitious students.

Self-paced courses allow students who learn quickly to complete courses at a pace that remains engaging and avoids boredom before they move on to the next course. Flexible courses give students who need more time and practice to accomplish course objectives the built-in opportunity to take the time without the stigma of asking for an exception to a rigid calendar. Millions of K-12 students have taken control of their learning time in distance courses. Distance education, as a learner-centered approach to education, is an efficient learning environment that focuses the teacher’s attention on the specific performance of individual students, guiding them as needed to achieve success. The student-teacher relationship is immediate and personal. _AmericanProgress

Although teachers' unions and other top-heavy bureaucracies are trying to limit student choice, the virtual school movement is spreading to every state, at all levels from K-12 through university. The cost advantage for schools is one of many aspects of online education that is attracting attention.

Based on a 2008 survey of 20 virtual schools in 14 states, UF researchers found that the average yearly cost of online learning per full-time pupil was about $4,300. This compared with a national average cost per pupil of more than $9,100 for a traditional public school in 2006 (the most recent year in which such data was available). Their cost estimates covered course development and teaching, and administrative and technical expenses.

“Online programs have little or no cost for instructional facilities, transportation and related staff,” Cavanaugh said. “The value of distance education also increases when considering the broad range of available online courses.”

She said investing in virtual education could allow schools to provide instruction before, during and after school — in essence, lengthening the school day and school year — without sinking millions of dollars into new buildings, additional personnel, professional development and other operating costs. Such school reform measures may not be popular with the kids, but America’s education system is falling behind our competitors abroad. Simply put, students in other developed nations are spending more time in school and learning more than our kids do. _UFlorida_via_SwampWoman

Wisconsin is one of the states where virtual schools have fought the unions and bureaucracies to come out victorious on the other side.

There are more than 2,300 virtual students in Wisconsin studying at 14 schools. It's becoming more popular. Virtual schools is kind of like home-schooling for the internet generation, but it lets students work with certified teachers instead of relying on parents to develop instruction.

"To me, it's the best of both worlds," says Marcy's mom, Julie. "You can work at your own pace but also have teacher support." _Source

One interesting development in online education at college level, is the free access offering of selected Kaplan Higher Education courses as part of the Open Courseware Consortium. As the open courseware movement expands, options for free online learning will grow. And that should open the door for more independent certification organisations that can test and certify students for the benefit of potential employers and learning institutions.

College students can also use free online courses as preparation for challenging courses via test, or for taking knowledge assessment exams for college credit. Students could easily test out of a year or more of college using these free online courses.

Homeschool: An Update

Between 1978 and 2003, homeschooling grew at the rate of about 20% a year in the US. In 2003 nearly 1.1 million American children were being homeschooled.

Along with vouchers and charter schools, homeschooling is now considered a true alternative to the public school system. In 2000, 3 percent of elementary and secondary schoolchildren were homeschooled; only 1 percent were in charter schools and a mere one-tenth of 1 percent had vouchers to attend private schools. On the basis of numbers alone, we can see that homeschooling is not limited to the antiestablishment, to fundamentalist religious groups, or to those in the most rural of communities, as was once the claim. It is now the largest school reform alternative.

This increased growth, interestingly enough, has not come at the expense of student performance—quite the opposite. Comparisons in achievement tests of homeschooled students with national averages for all students show that homeschooled children are well above the national average in every subject and at every grade level in the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and in Tests of Achievement and Proficiency.

...Why do homeschooled students do so well? Koret Task Force member and Harvard professor Caroline Hoxby has shown that, of the factors affecting student performance, home environment and family support greatly outweigh school inputs: “Families matter most.” In no schooling pedagogy can the home and the family have more influence than they do in homeschooling. The families of homeschooled children are clearly different from those of traditional schoolchildren. Some 97 percent of homeschooled children live in married couple households; the comparable number for public school students is 72 percent. Nearly 88 percent of homeschooling parents continued their own education beyond high school; less than 50 percent of the general population has attended college. The home environment of these students is supportive and nurturing, and it encourages diligence— homeschooled children watch less television than do typical students. Contributing to the success and growth of homeschooling are technological advances that have made homeschooling easier and provided parents with a wealth of information at their fingertips. Through the Internet, research and support systems abound, providing parents with educational tips, lesson plans, and source material.

...Homeschooling is a sustainable education alternative. The parents (the teachers) are dedicated, and the students are achieving. It is a welcome example of students and teachers working together to achieve outstanding performance....Homeschooling may not be for everyone, but it works well for most and extremely well for some.

Hoover Institution

If parents are able to devote the time and effort to the personal supervision of their children's education, homeschooling can be superior to most alternatives.

Virtual Schools---Growing 25% Yearly, Already a Million Student Strong

Government schools in North America have failed children, parents, and taxpayers. Faced with the prospect of countless future generations of incompetent ignoramuses, a few visionary educators set about to create a system for the future--Virtual Schools.

As a seventh-grader, Kelsey-Anne Hizer was getting mostly D's and F's and felt the teachers at her Ocala middle school were not giving her the help she needed. But after switching to a virtual school for eighth grade, Kelsey-Anne is receiving more individual attention and making A's and B's. She's also enthusiastic about learning, even though she has never been in the same room as her teachers.

...virtual schools are growing fast - at an annual rate of about 25 percent. There are 25 statewide or state-led programs and more than 170 virtual charter schools across the nation, according to the North American Council for Online Learning.

...virtual learning has almost unlimited potential. Many envision a blending of virtual and traditional learning.

"We hope that it becomes just another piece of our public schools' day rather than still this thing over here that we're all trying to figure out," said Julie Young, Florida Virtual's president and CEO.

Florida Virtual is one of the nation's oldest and largest online schools, with more than 55,000 students in Florida and around the world, most of them part-time. Its motto is "Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace."

...Casey Hutcheson, 17, finished English and geometry online in the time it would have taken to complete just one of those courses at his regular high school in Tallahassee.

"I like working by myself because of no distractions, and I can go at my own pace rather than going at the teacher's pace," he said.

Wired

While teacher's unions and other backward looking vested interests attempt to have virtual schools and charter schools shut down, virtual education for all ages is actually just getting started. Several states have endorsed and adopted virtual schooling, including Florida and Wisconsin.

Virtual Learning: Getting an Education in Second Life

Second Life is an alternate reality virtual environment where ordinary people can go to be extraordinary. Second Life is an education in itself, but soon a person may be able to go to Second Life universities to get an education, and perhaps a valid degree.

You can learn about genetics in Second Life, you can visit the doctor or hospital in Second Life, and eventually will probably be able to go to "medical school" in the virtual environment.

There is the Second Life library. There is also a Second Life medical library and a health library.

Second Life (SL) can function as a "mirror world", where real world people and organisations function normally in a virtual environment, or it can serve as a fantasy world escape from reality. Such a large scale virtual environment can serve as a superset of virtual environments. Any number of virtual games such as WOW could occur within SL. In fact, if I were WOW, I would hurry to establish a presence on SL before SL begins running competitive environments that draw WOW players.

Hat tip Neurophilosophy's Gene Genie bioscience carnival

Virtual Schools Win Real Victory in Court

Virtual schools won a major victory in a Wisconsin courtroom recently. The largest teachers union in Wisconsin had filed suit against Wisconsin Virtual Academy in 2004, but Judge Joseph McCormack ruled against the union.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council claimed that virtual schools rely on parents to do some teacher duties instead of using state-certified teachers.

It also said such schools misuse the state's open enrollment program.

But the judge dismissed the council's arguments, saying the School Board is within its rights to figure out how to partner teachers and parents for the best interest of students.

He also says the open enrollment program doesn't prohibit students from using the Internet to get a public education.

Virtual schools are run by several states, including Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida. South Carolina legislators are considering a bill to establish a statewide virtual school. Some universities are also running virtual schools.

This CSM article discusses some of the issues involved in virtual schooling, and how the concept relates at times to the charter school and home school movements.

For those readers who want to delve more deeply into the history, and more technical details of virtual schooling, take a look at this pdf study from one of the foremost experts on virtual schooling.

I like the idea of educational choice. Corruption in government education has become much too blatant and destructive toward students, taxpayers, and the body politic. Being able to sidestep that corruption in any way possible, is not a bad thing.