In one Kansas school district, educators1 are using the Internet to reach out to families that might otherwise turn their backs on public education.
Through the vehicle of a unique "virtual" school, teachers and administrators in the Basehor-Linwood School District are providing families that teach their children at home the guidance2 of public school teachers, the validation3 of state standardized tests and the purchasing power of a large public school.
"Public schools need to recruit4 those kids back into public education," said David Pendleton, the district's superintendent, noting that its virtual school started with barely5 60 students in 1997 and will likely grow to 400 this fall6. "Our state recognizes the importance of working with home school kids."
The district, located just west of Kansas City, developed its Virtual Charter7 School as a means to entice8 families who had abandoned the state school system to once again become involved in public education, Pendleton said. It is the only school district running such a model in the nation, though Basehor-Linwood school officials are helping educators in three other Kansas communities to establish similar programs.
Charter schools are independent public schools operated9 by educators, parents, consumers and non-profit companies. While state laws vary, most charter schools operate under the general auspices of state or local education officials but remain free of some education regulations. In the case of the Basehor-Linwood initiative, the district operates the virtual school.
The virtual school is designed to appeal10 to a broad array of students and families, most of whom Pendleton said have opted to learn at home for similar reasons.
"It wasn't religion. It wasn't left-wing11 radicals. It was choice," he said of the findings of a recent survey12 of home-schooled students. "One student told me he had more choices at McDonald's than at school. I'm worried about public schools not changing."
For Melanie Dearing, who is home schooling three of her five children via the Basehor-Linwood Virtual Charter School, the Internet-based courses offer a cost-effective way to teach at home while still maintaining the accountability13 of a public school.
"There is a phobia14 out there that if you're connected with a public school your freedom is taken away," said Dearing, who taught15 public school for 10 years. "That is not true with this charter school. If the state ever did swoop16 in and mandate everything we teach, all I have to do is un-enroll17. To me, there is no downside, and trust me, I've looked."
Jeanne Allen, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform - which advocates for charter schools - said that while virtual charter schools are growing in popularity in some areas, there is little reason to expect they will supplant18 more traditional education models.
"Parents still want, for the most part, a school with a class, or the same type of structure they are used to," she said. "I don't think it's a trend or the world to come19, but charter schools will be suited20 to meet students' needs."
The Virtual Charter School serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade21 via an online independent study program guided by full-time22 school district teachers. Parents pay a one-time $20 deposit for an iMac and a $40 annual textbook fee23. Dearing paid nearly $3,000 in textbooks and supplies the first year she taught her son at home before signing up with the charter school. Families are responsible for finding an Internet service provider and paying those fees.
Students are expected to complete coursework within the school year at their own pace24 and are required to take state standardized tests. Students "go online and get their assignments25, then they get offline and pull out26 their textbooks and study," said Brenda DeGroot, director of the virtual school. "At the elementary level, you may be a 10th grade reader, but in a regular classroom it's hard to meet those needs."
There is one teacher assigned to each grade level for elementary students and a teacher assigned to each subject area for middle and high school students. There are about 150 elementary students, 50 middle school students and 150 high school students in the virtual school, DeGroot said. Parents are responsible for teaching the younger students with online assistance, while high school students are often able to guide their own studies.
"You're at your own discretion of how you pursue27 your coursework," DeGroot said. "Our support staff will e-mail families about once a week."
In California, a private non-profit company is running28 a similar Internet-based charter school that is supplemented by classroom-based instruction.
Randy Gaschler, president of the Placerville, Ca.-based Innovative Education Management, said the mixed model meets the independent study and socialization needs of K-12 students.
"We have the ability to absolutely individualize each student's learning plan," he said. "It's not easy to accommodate in a regular classroom. We can have a student working on first grade math, third grade English and fifth grade social studies."
While the six Innovative Education Management schools are public charter schools, they do not have the Kansas virtual school's funding29 flexibility because they are not affiliated with a California public school district.
When a home school student enrolls in Kansas, the enrollment is treated and funded as if the student enrolled in his local elementary school and the virtual school can take advantage of the school district's purchasing30 power. The California school is allotted31 standard state funding for each student to fund its services.
When Gaschler opened Horizon Instructional32 Systems in 1993, his first charter school, he invested in computer equipment that allows the school to be its own Internet service provider so it can offer low-cost connections to its online students.
"We have more bandwidth than most counties have," he said. "Right now we can put a DSL connection in a student's home for less than $400 a year."
If a student needs a computer, the cost comes out of his or her instructional fund, Gaschler said.
While virtual schools are likely to appeal to a relatively small group of parents and students, Allen said the initiatives in California and Kansas have shown they can provide an important alternative.
"Kansas is rural and has a hard time33 keeping kids in school," she said. "And California is huge; its size helps it make sense.