The virtual revolution: understanding online schools

Education Next, Spring, 2006 by Randall Greenway, Gregg Vanourek

Fourth, virtual schools are not for everybody (nor are they meant to be). According to Tom Scullen, superintendent in Appleton, Wisconsin (which has experimented with virtual schools), "This type of school is not for everyone, but for the kids who need it, this may be their best--or even only--opportunity to succeed."

Finally, this is just the beginning. Over a century we have witnessed steady evolution of distance-learning approaches, structures, and technologies. We don't know what's next, but we can be confident that, as the technology continues its headlong leap to new frontiers and as we understand more about what works (and what doesn't), the education benefits will surely increase with them. Clearly, the use of technology in education will continue to expand and evolve. As one high-school student aptly put it, "we have technology in our blood."

Randall Greenway is head of school of the Arkansas Virtual School and a former state department of education official, high-school principal, and teacher. Gregg Vanourek is a consultant, writer, and former executive at K12 Inc.

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDY LACKOW

RELATED ARTICLE: Future Schooling Today: A "Day in the Life" of a 6th-Grade Virtual Student*

Time        Activity

7:00 a.m.   Wakes up, gets dressed, and eats breakfast
8:15        Logs on to his personalized school page and reviews his
            lessons scheduled for the day
8:40        American History: reviews notes on the French and Indian
            War; writes a diary entry in his history journal from the
            perspective of an officer in the Virginia militia serving
            with General Washington; reads chapter 3 on the role of the
            Iroquois Indians
10:00       Language Arts: reviews words for today's spelling test;
            completes lesson on revising and proofreading an essay;
            completes grammar, usage, and mechanics lesson on the use of
            irregular verbs; completes vocabulary lesson on root words
11:45       Break/free time
12:00 p.m.  Lunch with mom and younger sister
12:30       Takes Spelling test
12:45       Reading time (continuation of literature lesson from
            yesterday): A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle
1:30        Pre-Algebra: reviews lesson on "Using Variables: Writing
            Inequalities"; completes practice problems in textbook;
            takes quiz on algebra lesson
2:30        Science: checks on science experiment and records changes in
            science journal
2:45        Break/free time
3:30        Soccer practice
5:00        Free time with friends
6:00        Dinner with family: discusses day's lessons with parents
6:45        More free time
7:30        Logs on to personalized school page to review tomorrow's
            lessons in Science, Language Arts, Pre-Algebra, and Art
7:45        Reading time: literature (continued)
9:00        Bedtime

*Based on real students' schedules.