Virtual school

"Virtual school" refers to the delivery of classes over the internet as an element of the education process. Because the technology dates back only to the 1990s, the scope of virtual schooling is still widely divergent. A traditional brick-and-mortar school that uses online classes to supplement and extend the school’s curriculum offerings can be said to offer "virtual schooling" or "online learning." However, in the early 2010s, education providers, in conjunction with state departments of education, began to create K-12 school programs entirely online, fully accredited and staffed by licensed teachers, where students can attend classes for the entire school day. This eliminates the need for physically going to a school and interacting with teachers and other students. These schools, which, of course, depend on the responsibility of the student in cooperation with their parent or guardian to maintain the commitment to long-term learning, often can offer classes in areas that local schools cannot. These students can theoretically learn anywhere, anytime. Although there are concerns about the long-term impact of young students attending school entirely online, the reality of virtual schools is revolutionizing concepts of how students best learn and how teachers best reach their students.

History

Virtual schooling began in the 1990s, largely as a convenience to adults who needed particular specialization credit in a field either to secure a job or to move upward within a network. These college-level correspondence courses, most often in mechanical skills, business, and the burgeoning field of information technology, appealed to busy professionals who needed flexibility. These earliest efforts best served those who were technologically adept, older, self-disciplined, and more advanced. In addition, prerecorded video presentations tended to be stiff and impersonal, and it was difficult to reach an instructor or other staff for further clarification.

However, technology rapidly improved and virtual schools found a new audience in the generation of students born entirely within the era of the internet, or digital natives. In addition, growing concerns over troubling and difficult social interactions in middle and secondary schools—most notably, persistent bullying and the formation of cliques—made virtual schools more appealing.

Virtual schooling quickly grew in popularity, initially as a way to extend schooling to children with disabilities, those who are otherwise unable to attend school for a period of time, and those who live in remote areas. The advantages quickly became apparent for other types of students. Through internet resources, brick-and-mortar schools began to tap into rigorous Advanced Placement courses that those schools could otherwise not afford to staff; in addition, online programs have given students opportunities to study innovative fields ranging from environmental science to Mandarin Chinese. Virtual classes could also be used to help truant students make up time or struggling students with remedial learning. Online programs often provide tests, report cards, and traditional grades as a way to ensure the students are learning at an appropriate pace.

More controversial, however, are full-time virtual schools that are increasingly replacing enrollment in traditional schools. Parents essentially allow their child to home school. The option is not without controversy—but parents who favor virtual schools see them as a way to improve their child’s education experience and at the same time lose many of the distractions of traditional schools: the redundant information covered for less gifted students; time spent in study halls, lunch periods, and recess; and for many, the negative social interactions among students. Virtual schools are more affordable than private schools, and they tap into younger generations’ aptitude with digital technology. By 2011, more than 250,000 American students were attending virtual schools.

Impact

Virtual schools can be adapted to nearly any specific situation or student need. Most often, lessons are provided via a real-time live stream in which students can interact with the teacher as well as with other students, at times numbering more than sixty, enrolled in the program. Students can maintain that link with fellow students through various technologies, such as e-mail and virtual interest groups (much like extracurricular activities), outside class time. In US states like Florida, a parent or other adult must also be physically present in order to assist the child, especially elementary students.

Virtual schools are not free, but the pricing depends on whether the virtual learning program is funded and run by the government, a nonprofit, or a private for-profit entity. In states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Massachusetts, if the virtual school abides by state-mandated curriculum standards, there is no direct cost to parents. Some school districts provide students who wish to enroll in virtual school with home computers and subsidized Internet access in return for completing the state-mandated standardized tests. In those districts, other education-related expenses, such as transportation, building maintenance, and staffing costs, are reduced as a result. Virtual programs may or may not eliminate the cost of textbooks, worksheets, and other learning materials; online education providers like the for-profit company K12 provide such resources as part of their services, while government-run programs may supply these materials to participants as well.

Critics, however, are quick to point out that social interaction is itself a critical element in education—that a child has to learn the give and take of negotiating with others in order to succeed in life. Moreover, critics caution that only committed students can be expected to take responsibility day after day for maintaining their own education routine. There is little hard data about the long-term impact on its students and how those students compare to students in traditional school environments, though low on-time completion rates and high dropout rates have raised concern about the quality of the education being delivered. Critics have also noted that the amounts that virtual programs charge the states vary greatly and can negatively affect taxpayers.

Bibliography

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