Cyber school, real homework
Parents, students appreciate lessons on their computers
By Paul Burgarino Contra Costa Times
While many parents struggle to get their kids out from under the covers, dressed and off to school, Erinn Watson’s daughters are always on time for class.
Even when they wake up late.
Catey and Aiden Watson of Concord, Calif., are among the growing number of students across the country getting their education online through virtual public schools. The Watsons, a Coast Guard family, were unfamiliar with local schools when they moved from Alaska to California last year.
“This seemed like the best option, so we decided to go ahead and do it,” Erinn Watson said.
But as online K-12 schools grow in popularity, questions abound about accountability, high dropout rates and the ability of brick-and-mortar schools to maintain funding.
“(Online schools) are a big trend in education, but nobody really knows what to make of them yet,” said M.D. Roblyer, an education professor at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., who has studied Web-based schools. “The opportunity is there. The experience can be as good or better than face-to-face, but the teachers have to be qualified and the students have to be ready to learn online.”
The majority of cyber-schools, which obtain charter status through local school districts, are publicly funded but privately run, in some cases for profit.
Many families are drawn to the individualized education available through Web learning, said Mina Arnold, program coordinator for California Virtual Academy, the state’s largest network of online schools.
“(Parents) like the flexibility and ability for the classes to adapt to the needs of their child,” Arnold said.
The programs offer an appealing option for parents already planning to homeschool their children, taking textbook lessons and transferring them to a computer screen. They’re also an attractive option for parents who are interested in educating their children at home, but turned off by the idea of having to develop their own curriculum and lesson plans.
Many parents are drawn to the schools’ providing of a state-approved curriculum that is structured and overseen by credentialed teachers, said Renee Dodd, a teacher with California Virtual Academies.
Andrea Lim of San Jose, Calif., said she and her husband decided early on they wanted to homeschool their children.
The online public school option proved the best bet for providing a well-rounded education, she said.
“It has really helped us bond as a family,” Lim said last month, as her daughters, second-grader Madeline and kindergartner Zoe, worked at their computers.
Online learners include actors and athletes with heavy travel schedules, children who must stay in their homes because of medical conditions, military families and students and parents uncomfortable with the social elements found in brick-and-mortar schools. Online schools also have a high percentage of high-risk and special-needs students.
The Lims like that they can dictate the pace of the curriculum, provided the girls show their teacher they grasp the lessons.
“The students are not held back, or (they) can receive more support where they are struggling,” Dodd said. “Being able to work one-on-one is a huge benefit.”
Aiden Watson, 10, said she enjoys learning online because she’s not rushed.
“I don’t have to worry about time being out,” she said.
Parents must be involved in helping their children learn in the program, but computers, an Internet connection and other materials are provided free.
“We’re up front in letting parents know ahead of time that they have to be dedicated,” Dodd said.
The interaction between teachers and students varies. Erinn Watson said she meets in person with her girls’ teachers once or twice a quarter. Dodd, however, said she oversees work submitted by students and their progress on a daily basis.
Teachers are assigned to each class, but their role depends largely on the school and grade level. Some give lectures online; others answer questions via e-mail.
Skepticism about the quality of instruction remains.
Dean Vogel, president of the California Teachers Association, said he hopes online teachers are held to the same accountability standards as those at brick-and-mortar schools. Charter schools, in general, have been able to “stay outside of the parameters of acceptable accountability,” he said.
He said online schools should be supplementing, not replacing, the classroom experience.
Watson says she’s comfortable with her choice for her daughters.
“It makes me feel good they are getting all the attention they need and not worrying about crowded classrooms,” she said. “It feels like they are the only ones in the class.”
MICHIGAN OPTION
The Michigan Virtual School offers high school and middle school students the chance to earn credits without leaving home.
MVS is an online resource that provides courses — taught by certified teachers — and other learning tools that students wouldn’t otherwise have access to. It was funded by the Michigan Legislature in July 2000 to be operated by the Michigan Virtual University, a private, not-for-profit corporation.
MVS works in cooperation with individual school districts to grant course credit and diplomas.
According to MVS’s website, eligible students include:
• Talented and gifted students
• Special-needs students
• Students who need to make up credit
• Homeschooled students
For a list of courses or more information, visit: www.mivhs.org .
—Michigan Virtual School
Zoe Lim, 6, reads a book as her sister Madeline Lim, 7, and mother Andrea Lim work on a virtual school lesson at their San Jose, Calif., home.
DAN HONDA/MCT
Kindergartner Zoe and second-grader Madeline look at a book together. Homeschooling, via an online public school option, has made the family closer, mom Andrea Lim says.
JIM STEVENS/MCT
Erinn Watson and daughters Catey, 13, and Aiden, 9, work on an assignment. A Coast Guard family, the Watsons decided on virtual schooling after moving from Alaska to California last year.
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