Is There a Place for Virtual Education for High Schoolers?

June 16, 2009 | no comments

I spent about 40 minutes speaking with Graham Frey, chancellor of Kaplan Virtual Education, this afternoon. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) gave me confidence that the curriculum was serious and the online course guide confirmed this. The list of honors courses was reassuring as well.

What I wondered about was not the WHAT but the WHO. For which students does an online high school education make the most sense? I think most of us would agree that the best environment for most students is with their peers in a brick and mortar setting.

According to Graham, there are specific sets of students for whom an online education could make sense: Very serious athletes, for example Olympians and others for whom practice eats away at the school day; or performing artists, including dancers and musicians who in the past might have forgone a high school education completely.

Another group includes families, who love their home, but where the local school option may not meet their needs; perhaps an area where gentrification is just beginning or where local schools have a philosophical view that is abhorrent to a family.

Another area I heard about is hybrids, where a private school may combine in-person education with distance options. For example, imagine a school that emphasizes experiential opportunities. How can students visit Barcelona or work on healthcare in Mexico while continuing their pursuit of AP Physics? Might distance learning provide the tools to make this possible?

As virtual study becomes more accepted at the university level, and as organizations—like IECA—begin using Web-based learning to inform our membership, there may be a growing value in virtual education for the right high schoolers. It’s certainly worth learning more.

Posted by Mark Sklarow, IECA Executive Director