Is a Virtual School the Right Choice for your Child?

A virtual school or cyberschool is a school that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods. They are descendants of the correspondence courses that have been around for a long time and utilized the postal service for communication. Using the internet for communication seems to be a much more effect way of communicating and may be the reason for the growth explosion of virtual schools. A virtual school differs from the traditional school by linking administrators, teachers, and students together utilizing the internet. Accredited schools must meet rigorous standards designed to insure that students are receiving the highest quality instruction and education, however many virtual schools are not accredited at this time.

Virtual Schools are now available to all grade levels and can provide a full curriculum to your child or an al carte type menu where they can choose to attend some classes through a virtual school. It is important to note that not all Virtual Schools provide your child with the ability to receive a diploma, so be sure to research the guidelines governing the schools in your area. There are many different models of virtual schools available. Instructional models range from fully independent self paced courses to teacher facilitated courses, so you’ll need to do some research on what model will best suit your child’s needs and abilities. Keep in mind that it will take a lot of will power to stay on track and focused in an entirely self-paced course. Class sizes range widely with anywhere from 25 students to as many as 200 students in each class section. Students keep in contact with teachers and collaborate with other students through web communication tools. In some cases students communicate by phone with instructors.

A link is beginning to develop between Public and Virtual Schools. Many districts either have their own Virtual Schools or have linked together with an already existing Virtual School. Some Public Schools are providing computer labs where students can take online courses right on their campus. Typically if there is this connection between the two types of schools there will be no charge to the parent for the course or for materials required for the course. Check with the schools in your area about fees and supplies since they will differ greatly from school to school.

Some advantages of attending a virtual school are: not being required to attend and travel to face-to-face classes so students are able to set their own schedule and the daily use of digital media in the curriculum keeps these students up to date on the latest technological advances. In addition, I think that it provides a student with the ability to work at their own pace in a subject that they may be struggling with.

Disadvantages of this type of schooling include: lack of social interaction with the teacher and their peers, the challenge of staying focused while in the home environment and that these schools are not held up to the standards of other types of schools. The lack of socialization can be addressed through participation in group activities held outside of the schools just like it is addressed with home school students. Standards are being developed for these types of schools and they do have some accrediting agencies but they are still in the growing phase. It is important given this information that you conduct your own research on the Virtual Schools available to you before jumping into this choice. As far as the focusing issue, that is all on you and your child. Do you both have the ability to stay committed and focused to the tasks at hand or like me are you a major procrastinator? That is a question that only you can answer.

Picking the Right School for Your Child

One of the most important decisions that parents have to make is what type of school to send their child to. The choices available today are numerous. There is public, private, magnet, charter, virtual and home-schooling options. Every month it seems that there are new options available, and all the options seem to have their benefits and their drawbacks. I will be exploring each of these options in a series of postings to assist you in making this important decision. I feel fairly confident that I can speak on the pros and cons of attending public school, and I will be seeking out the advice of other parents and educators who know more than I do about the other options that are available. In addition to the generalized information provided in these postings, I hope that you will do your research on the schools in your area by talking to parents and children who are already attending the school and finding out how the school is doing compared to other schools nearby. The statistics on schools can typically be accessed through the State’s Department of Education and most schools are more than willing to give you a tour of their facility. Do not take it as a bad sign if the tour is conducted when there are no students in the building, many schools have adopted this policy to ensure the safety of their current students.

It is very important to keep in mind the stregnths and weaknesses of your child when picking out the right school. Not every child fits into every school setting, and finding the school that is the best fit for your child may be the difference between academic success and failure. If you are not sure of how your child learns, Howard Gardner's books on Multiple Intelligences may be a good place to start.