Virtual Schools=Mainstream Reform?

I just returned from Plano, TX, where I spent the past three days with virtual school teachers, researchers, and program managers at the North American Council for Online Learning Virtual School Symposium. Virtual schools take a variety of forms, from district- or state-led schools that are primarily or entirely supplemental—offering students the option of taking one or more courses to supplement their traditional school experience—to fully online "cyber" schools.

I returned to Washington convinced that the growth in K-12 virtual schooling is even more dramatic than our recent Chart You Can Trust on state virtual schools detailed. And, I learned that growth is not the only reason that we need to pay attention.

Most interesting was the subtext underlying both the formal presentations and my informal conversations. If you think that virtual schooling is just about learning online, you've missed the real potential impact. While not explicit, it is clear that the technology is only a means that offers an opportunity to start from scratch and re-think many traditional assumptions. The end goal is school reform. Two anecdotes:

• In separate conversations with representatives from two different state-based programs, I learned how state-led virtual programs are exposing wide gaps in expectations for learning within a state. These program managers explained how students that were at the top of their class in their local schools were overmatched in courses at the statewide virtual school. It's hard to imagine a more concrete (and sad) example of accountability than when the virtual school teacher has to explain to the student and his/her parents that their ace student is woefully under prepared.


• Former classroom teachers, now managing one state's program, talked about the "culture change" required to teach in that state's virtual school: "In the online world, what they [the teachers] do is more transparent. There is an expectation that you can and will be observed....We will evaluate you....There is a quantitative goal for student achievement." Likewise, in the same presentation, a detailed program for initial online teacher preparation, mentoring, and professional development was also in place.

Many people have compared the virtual school movement to the charter school movement at a similar stage. While I was not involved in the early charter school movement, I can see parallels: The majority of persons I met this week were education entrepreneurs; there are fully-online "cyber" charter schools; and competition for funding is an issue. One lesson that the more experienced virtual school leaders understand is the critical need at this early stage to rigorously protect quality so that the field is not defined by its bad apples. Even the most ardent proponents concede that virtual schooling is still the "wild, wild, West."

But, there are also key differences that could allow the virtual schools to reach a higher level of impact than charters. While reaching scale is still difficult, it is much more possible in the virtual environment—Florida Virtual School may already offer more students classes than any charter management organization. And, choice can consist of a mouse click rather than a new school in a new place (and, as noted above, the comparison is very evident). Finally, the people leading and teaching in many of these programs are public school classroom veterans. And many of the new institutions are actually state- or district-run. These entrepreneurs have found a niche within the system. They are the ones talking about culture change—not union foes or voucher proponents. Very interesting.