School districts across the United States are watching a court ruling that challenges the existence of virtual schools and could determine the future of online education.Don't believe the hype and don't think that all virtual schooling looks like Wisconsin Virtual Academy. Many people think that "cyber" charter schools, schools that are responsible for students' entire education experience and that students attend full-time, are the primary sponsors of online learning. But, the majority of students learning online participate in "supplemental" virtual schooling programs. These supplemental programs, many state-run, allow students to take online courses in addition to their regular school-based courses.
The AP story and much of the discourse surrounding the Wisconsin decision confound the ideological and political controversies that surround cyberschools with virtual schooling in general. Despite their growth and popularity, full-time cyberschools are highly controversial—a result of their non-traditional approach to learning, their status as charter schools, the transfer of student funding away from traditional schools, and their enrollment of former home-school students. Many unions, especially state and local- level affiliates, have vehemently opposed cyberschools.
Not only is the story above factually incorrect (the law in question is a very specific Wisconsin state law—Colorado, for example, just recently passed its own cyberschool legislation), but it narrows all of online learning to the cyberschool model. This is particularly dangerous because many of the practices found in supplemental virtual schooling programs are bringing about reforms that have long eluded traditional public schools and prompting educators and policymakers to question and change key components of our traditional, classroom-based public system. Limiting the discussion of virtual schooling solely to cyberschools equates virtual schooling with home schooling and bounds the possibilities of online education into the constraints of polarized, non-productive and ideological education battles.
That said, proactive state legislators across the country should take note of the Wisconsin case. Many states' laws, like those in Wisconsin, need to be modernized to reflect an education system that is no longer defined by bricks and mortar schools, seat time, and strict geographic lines. These legislators should heed the lessons of the charter school movement and craft strong laws that provide the regulatory and accountability framework needed for all forms of virtual schooling within the public system.
Specifically, cyberschool options should exist to help serve the vast variety of student and family needs. It's ok for different models to serve different students with differing needs to ensure each of them is successful—that's called personalization.
The key issue is really around public funding. Funding should follow student success and not penalize innovation or efficiency. But, let's also make sure to weight the public funding so that it is sensitive to what the state is actually buying. Many cyberschool models have very limited student/teacher interaction, rely heavily on parents as educators, and are less likely to serve special needs students or those without a stay-at-home parent. With weighted funding, some cyberschools would receive less money. But, more money could also follow to cyberschools that can demonstrate success serving students with higher needs. The more sophisticated conversation is not about whether cyberschools are good or bad, but what role they play in a state's various educational priorities and how the funding follows those priorities.
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