Everywhere we look, technology is transforming the way we share information. Fax machines, email, video conferences, webcams – even the instant video-sharing website, “You tube” – have the capability to take communication worldwide in a matter of seconds. And this is just the beginning.
Education is a bit of a latecomer to the technology explosion, but teachers are now using virtual instruction to reach thousands of students. According to a recent report from the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL), an estimated 700,000 students participated in online courses during the 2005-06 school year. As of 2005, NACOL listed 157 unique online learning programs spanning 42 states in its database, including 32 virtual charter schools, three online home-school programs, and 53 public, non-charter virtual schools.
A 2006 Education Next article, The Virtual Revolution, authored by Randall Greenway, head of the Arkansas Virtual School, and Gregg Vanourek, former executive at the virtual school K12 Inc., tracks the remarkable growth of the online schooling movement over the past decade, from the CyberSchool Project in Oregon in 1995 (offering online high school courses) to the first virtual charter school in Minnesota in 1998. For the uninitiated, the authors describe online or virtual schooling as a “hybrid of public, charter, and home schooling, with ample dashes of tutoring and independent study thrown in, all turbocharged by Internet technology.”
In spite of the presence of virtual “hybrids” around the country, the unveiling of North Carolina’s first statewide online school was greeted as the next big thing by attendees at last week’s State Board of Education meeting. Compared to other states, North Carolina is clearly behind the curve; in fact, online registration for the North Carolina Virtual Public School began just last month. But while progress has been slow, virtual schooling in North Carolina has been in the works for a while. In 2002, the General Assembly established the Business Education Technology Alliance (BETA); BETA then set up the E-Learning Commission, tasking it with establishing an electronically-based school.
Five years later, the state is rolling out this option, spending millions of dollars to “reinvent” its own brand. BETA Chair and Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue announced the school’s launch with fanfare, saying it would “give students access to high quality teaching and learning regardless of where they live.” Her announcement comes with a caveat, however: currently, online education is limited to high schoolers while online options for elementary and middle school students are not yet available. It’s also worth noting that this school is still part of the public school monopoly since students must be enrolled in a traditional public school to participate.
Nevertheless, virtual education expands options for North Carolina families – clearly, a step in the right direction. Maybe this means state officials are finally ready to pick up the pace and think creatively. Before the General Assembly ever took action to establish online schooling, the State Board of Education (fondly dubbed the “State Board of Repetition” by Locke Foundation analyst Terry Stoops) denied three virtual charter school applications. These online schools would not have cost taxpayers one penny to establish. One charter school even had plans to implement the reputable K12 Curriculum, now serving 25,000 students in 17 different states (.pdf).
What does the future hold for virtual schooling? Only time and technology will tell. But as families and students continue to seek out alternatives to traditional schools, the call for public officials to embrace innovation will continue to intensify. Let’s hope they heed it.