Thanks a lot Betsy. I have seen 25 commercials today for online school K- 12

[Catmusicfan]

Now I realize in some areas of the country online education is needed to reach kids. I even have a friend whose daughter was being held back by traditional schools her mother started home schooling at 10 the girl is basically graduating at 15. But something unnerving about these commercials.

[exboyfil]

1. My daughter had Spanish 2 from K12

between her Freshman and Sophomore year. She was more prepared for Spanish 3 than her peers who took Spanish 2 at our public schools.

She also had several life science classes from the North Dakota Center for Distance Education. These courses prepared for her to advance two years in life sciences culminating in taking Sophomore/Junior level college biology classes while in high school.

Both daughters did a significant number of online college classes. My oldest was able to finish a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering two years after high school graduation, and my other daughter is on course to complete her B.S. in Nursing 15 months after high school graduation. She just did her NCLEX pretest and received a 97% predictor of passing the actual test.

Online courses have their place, but I feel the state Department of Education is too generous in the amounts they pay these schools.

[kimbutgar]

2. I saw 2 today in San Francisco

Learn at home.

[Not Ruth]

3. Every major college offers it

Every 3 year old is more proficient in electronics than their parents and grandparents.

Sooner or later, it is going to happen.

[politicat]

4. I sort of wish it had been available. Bullying made several years of school hell.

Also, we moved every year, so I would have had some continuity of education. I still managed an excellent education and skipped a couple grades, but because school was pretty easy for me. It would have been better if I'd been challenged at my level consistently. I was not fully prepared for my first year of full-time college because I'd been coasting.

OTOH, online school would have made it easier for parental abuse to continue and would probably have worsened it. That's what worries me about shifting school to home -- it gives abusive parents way too much latitude for coercive control.

[Patterson]

5. These online courses will fill the little minds with right wing garbage.

[TheBlackAdder]

8. While also preventing them from socializing with others outside of their traditional networks.

It helps to keep them cloistered and bigoted--reinforcing their religious and peer group teachings.

[mia]

6. Haven't seen the commercials, but online courses, at least at the college level,

have given me the chance to take courses, without all the time spent getting to the university.

As far as the kids are concerned, I teach elementary school in the public schools and am able to use the latest technology as far as teaching goes. When it comes to what is available for students, though, the computer programs could be a whole lot better. I find better interactive games and educational materials (that are free) than what has been bought by the school system, which students must use for a certain number of hours per week. Problems also arise for student who don't have access to computers at home.

Students are evaluated, at the school level, according to their performance on these district mandated programs, which have different criteria than what we are mandated to teach according to the State of Florida. Not only that, but we are not allowed to look at the items on the state tests that the students take at the end of the year, so no teacher is allowed to learn if the items on the test actually measure what students have been taught.

It's a system that sets the public schools up to fail.

I can see the appeal of online schools with good programs, but too many children don't have access to the hardware needed or have adults nearby who have the ability and time at provide support.

[sarah FAILIN]

7. Good for some, not all.

Kids need interaction. I don't feel like home schooled kids get enough peer interaction, at least in those I know. My son started fast track in 10th and his complete personality changed once he wasn't allowed to go to his regular high school. He was supposed to get to go back for events like pep rallies, but nobody ever told the fast track kids anything that was going on. He was the life of the party but became withdrawn and serious once he wasn't around kids his age daily. I didn't realize the isolation he would go through till it as too late and he had to stick it out to graduate. I know others that were home schooled early and they had a harder time working themselves into the social groups. We've had those free optional online schools here for a couple of years that are like distance learning for all ages. I think we had a state law that requires it be offered, probably due to DeVos even back then from what I've heard.
Great for kids that are sick, or have conduct problems that keep them out of public school, but I can see kids that decide they want to quit getting up for traditional school hours jump into this and hurt themselves in the long run.