Virtual savings? Online courses bring better access but little impact on the bottom line - Virtual High School

School Administrator, April, 2004 by Brett Schaeffer

Ultimately, Ogata says, the outcome of the lawsuit will define what the state's definition of instruction is.

"If the definition of instruction is a teacher checking in on a student or advising a student, then that's not what we consider instruction in Minnesota," he says.

And that ruling may affect other states, such as Wisconsin, where the state's largest teachers' union has filed a similar lawsuit against a district that has partnered with K12.

Houston Superintendent Kim Ross acknowledges the online program isn't for every student. But Ross, in his sixth year as superintendent, also believes his district should continue looking for new and different ways to serve an increasingly diverse student body. "Doing things the same way isn't always best."

--Brett Schaeffer

Brett Schaeffer is a free-lance education writer in San Francisco. E-mail: brett@brettschaeffer.com