Overview
The availability, structure and reputation of online education is changing rapidly, providing students in kindergarten through 12th grade access to an increasing number of online education opportunities. Currently, over 2 million kindergarten through 12th grade students are enrolled in some form of online education and this number is expected to rise sharply in the coming years.
How does online schooling differ from home schooling?
There are several differences between online schooling and traditional home schooling. Online schooling offers consistent access to teachers trained to provide individualized instruction in the online classroom setting. Students work with both a teacher and a “learning guide” (generally a parent), creating a collaborative instructional team for each student. Teacher contact is through email, chat rooms, phone or videoconferencing. In addition, students take part in online communities for use as study groups, project work groups or tutoring assistance.
In contrast, home schooling depends on the parent to provide the bulk of instruction and the child has little to no contact with other home schooled students within the curriculum. With home schooling, contact with advisory teachers is far more infrequent than with the online option, and typically any such contact is solely via email or US mail.
Why Choose Online Schooling for K-12?
There are many reasons to use online schooling opportunities for K-12 students. Some of the common reasons are geographic concerns, educational content, medical conditions and concerns about the school environment.
Geographic Concerns
Families living in rural areas may have difficulty in managing transportation to and from a traditional school. Driving a child either to school or to a bus stop each day may take more time than the parent is able to provide, and lengthy bus or car rides remove valuable learning and family time from students. In addition, those living in remote areas with extreme weather may simply not be able to access roads or buses easily during certain parts of the year. For rural families, online school makes sense as it provides consistent, structured education during traditional and non-traditional school hours. Students lose no time commuting to school and thus can spend that time on schoolwork, helping with family responsibilities, socializing with other children in their community or pursuing other interests.
In addition, families in urban areas may not feel connected to the local schools they have to choose from, or may not be comfortable sending their children there for a variety of reasons. Driving their children to more desirable private schools may prove to be too burdensome or costly. Thus, online schooling becomes a viable option.
Educational Content
Families may have religious or social values that prevent them from sending their children to public schools. Some parents feel that public school teachers lack the skill and knowledge to teach effectively. Parents have also expressed great concern over the emphasis placed on standardized tests in public schools, and may feel that this does not coincide with their own views of valuable education experiences. They may not want their child to participate in such tests or spend significant school hours preparing for them.
By choosing an online school option, parents have more control over the content of the material provided to their children and the method used to present it. In many online programs, families can adjust subject matter while working on a particular skill. For example, if a student is working on descriptive words while writing a paragraph, the parent may suggest a topic that reflects the convictions and ideals they want their children to understand. Furthermore, when participating in online schooling, families can celebrate holidays or other important events in their own way, which may not be appropriate to teach in the public arena.
Medical Conditions
Students with severe medical conditions that prevent them from attending regular school can benefit greatly from online schooling.
School Environment
Many parents fear violence in schools. Or, they may feel that schools are too permissive in their standards for behavior or too lax in their ethical standards for students and teachers. Ultimately, they may question a school’s ability to keep their child safe or provide a healthy learning environment, and thus choose alternative options such as online schools.
Scope
In some cases, students can take online courses not offered in their district and earn school credit. Examples include advanced placement classes, various science courses and subject-specific English courses. At this time 24 states offer full-time online K-12 instruction, and all 50 states offer credit for certain courses taken online.
What Should You Expect?
It may seem futuristic to think that a Kindergartener or a 5th grader can be educated online; however, more and more families are pursuing this exciting new option. What can a parent expect from an online school for their children? Programs offer robust, creative and challenging curricula with several innovative features to enhance a child’s education.
Certified Teachers
Although parents play a vital role in online education, much like in home schooling, however, school districts require certified teachers to be involved in students’ online learning experience to ensure that children are meeting state standards for their age and grade level. These teachers provide expert advice and teaching strategies for learning guides and provide daily instruction and feedback. Teachers are there to support parents who may have areas of concern when teaching their child. For example, a parent may have learned significant mathematics concepts differently from their child and need assistance in explaining the new method clearly.
The teacher/learning guide relationship is typically respectful, informative and collaborative. If the fit is good, a certified teacher can loop from grade to grade with an online student and learning guide for several years.
Online Coursework
Online coursework is an important part of the school experience. Students will conduct certain meetings online, play online learning games, discuss work in online communities, ask questions and submit completed work to their certified teacher. Online schools provide students with user-friendly websites tailored to the specific programs with necessary materials, resources and assistance. Customer service for these sites is excellent, as it is essential to the success of the student.
In addition to the online element of their education, students are also provided offline educational materials, such as workbooks, journals and textbooks. At the beginning of each school year, families are sent a box of materials for their child to use throughout the school year.
Individualized Plan
At the beginning of the academic year, each online education student is provided an Individualized Plan outlining requirements for their school year. Students and parents collaborate with the certified teacher to create a dynamic, rigorous course of study that meets state standards for the student’s grade level. The plan outlines required courses and projects for the year, including online small group work and study group information. Students may opt to take specific classes within a subject area, such as marine biology to meet a science requirement. This variety of class choices motivates students to work hard in subjects they may otherwise find difficult. The Individualized Plan also provides students and instructors the opportunity to plan the year carefully, spreading out difficult classes and including courses that are particularly interesting to the student.
Time Commitment
Online full-time K-12 education programs are available 24 hours a day and require rigorous time commitments. Online education students spend an average of 6 hours per day on classes and coursework. Instructional time for learning guides decreases as a child gets older and learns independence and the technology skills to work alone in online classes. Parents of K-6 children spend an average of 5 hours per day on instruction, while parents of 7-8th grade students spend an average of 2 hours per day on instruction. Learning guides for high school students continue in their role of support and guidance, but students are expected to manage their time and coursework with a great deal of independence. But, high school students have more daily contact with instructors and other learning community members.
Private vs. Public Schools
Public and private schools both offer online education opportunities for K-12 students. The choice of public or private school is ultimately up to the parent and each provides different advantages.
Public schools offer both K-12 programs as well as programs only for high school students. These schools only employ certified teachers that fall into the “highly qualified” category for their subject matter, meaning that they are extensively trained in the areas they teach. Public schools also provide all materials free of cost, including textbooks, online customer service, loaner computers and subsidized Internet access. Programs are accredited, although parents should check with their state’s Department of Education if they have accreditation questions. Accreditation means that a high school diploma from an online education program means is equal to one earned in a traditional school setting and can be used to apply to college, join the military or pursue career opportunities.
Private schools tend to offer more diverse courses for students and may provide specific educational opportunities sought by parents, such as religious instruction. Some programs are not accredited and do not offer teacher support. Teachers also may not be certified in private schools; this standard differs in each state. Individual programs can offer explanations for their teacher standards and credits offered; parents should understand this thoroughly before enrolling their child. Tuition for private online schooling programs range from $35000-$6000 per school year for full-time students and $1000-$1500 for part-time students. Families must provide computers, Internet access and materials fees.
The Pros and Cons of Online Schooling
There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to enrolling a student in an online education program.
Pros
- Online schooling provides students with a strong familiarity and comfort with advanced technology systems. Students will understand the importance of technology in the education environment and will have an advantage when pursuing future career or educational opportunities such as college, where familiarity with an online classroom is becoming increasingly important.
- Families are actively involved in every aspect of their child’s education. Learning guides understand the materials and coursework provided to their student and are far more are engaged with the learning process than in a traditional school setting.
- The parent/teacher relationship is significantly closer than in traditional school settings, in which teachers typically have contact with parents twice per year at conferences or through report cards
- Teachers know students more intimately than in traditional school classrooms of 20-30 students. Teachers are required to have specific, individualized plans for each student and provide detailed planning, instruction, assessment and feedback for the student and learning guide. And because of the closeness, teachers can better suggest courses that meet the child’s specific interests.
- Districts show increasingly empathy and support for families choosing online schooling programs for their children. Education leadership understands the need for both forms of instruction, as well as the challenges of socialization for children not attending traditional school. Thus, many offer the opportunity for students to participate in some afterschool recreational activities, such as sports teams or band.
- For high school students, online education programs, that can be accessed 24 hours a day, can provide the opportunity to work or take care of family members during the school day.
Cons
- While older students can work more independently, instructing K-8 students requires a significant amount of a learning guide’s time. This can seriously impact a parent’s day and decrease the chance that the parent will be able to work outside the home. For some families, the time and financial constraint of online schooling is not feasible.
- While students are members of online learning communities, some children will miss daily interaction with friends and opportunities such as team sports, clubs and other extracurricular activities offered through traditional schools.
- While online programs provide comprehensive, flexible instruction, students enrolled in a special education program or on an Individualized Education Plan may encounter challenges in achieving success. In these cases, parents should proceed with caution when exploring the online option, as special education teachers are extensively trained to meet the needs of each student and are not employed as often in online programs. Parents should thoroughly understand their child’s IEP and individual needs before committing to changing school structures to ensure that their student will be successful. Academic counselors within the online program and the school district can advise parents further as well.
What type of child is suited for online schooling?
There are many types of children that will thrive in an online learning environment. But all online students must be independent, motivated and determined with dedicated learning guides. Some of the types of children who may benefit from online schooling include:
- Children show disparities in mastering different subject matters
- Those who have an interest in subjects not taught in their local school
- Technology-focused children
Students that Demonstrate Disparities in Mastering Different Subject Matters
For a variety of reasons, some children test at various grade levels for different subject areas. Some may have missed instruction during a move or an illness or were presented material that was uninteresting or confusing, while others simply have an aptitude for a specific area. These students may do well in an online schooling program as they can focus their studies on appropriate, challenging material. For example, if a student has a strong aptitude for computational fluency, they may need support in story problems or other mathematics areas that use different strategies. Rather than spending their math time continuing to learn computational fluency with their peers, these students can focus their time on areas of need.
Students that have a Particular Interest in Subjects not Taught in their Local School
Concerns exist that students in traditional schools are losing a well-rounded education for the sake of standardized tests. Many schools are severely limiting their school day to only the study of reading, writing and mathematics. Students may not be taught comprehensive, rigorous science, history, art or social studies, as teachers simply cannot fit them into the school day. Online programs offer a variety of courses that can give students experience and education in subject areas that are particularly interesting to them.
Students that are Technology-Focused
Some children may show a strong aptitude for technology and will enjoy the challenge of completing their learning objectives online. Students who have a love for new technology show a particular aptitude for online education as it can showcase their skills, increase their proficiency level and focus their studies more clearly.
Concluding Thoughts
Students and families entering the online schooling arena must be ready to manage their time on their own. While students are provided a schedule and individualized plan, learning guides are responsible for providing the rigorous instructional hours, expertise and drive to make sure younger students stay on task. While this type of education can provide certain freedoms, it also puts significant pressure on the parents to make sure that learning is taking place at an appropriate rate and level for the child. Older students must be able to take responsibility for their own education, track their own projects and make sure their questions are addressed in a timely manner. Students who are organized, driven and focused are ideal candidates for this type of education. Online schooling is an excellent tool to teach organizational and time management skills.
Online schooling is the fastest-growing segment of the education industry. Accredited K-12 and college programs are increasing in their popularity and reputation, thus attracting excellent teachers and motivated students. While the programs have rigorous instructional hours and high expectations for both parent and student, online learning also provides flexibility, greater scope for student interest and extensive technology skills.
