Going to School, Virtually

I am taking a break today from discussing the many issues raised in the article “When the Troops Come Home,” to talk about another interesting initiative that started this school year,a virtual high school offered through the Department of Defense Education Activity. It’s an accredited distance-learning program for military students, offering 48 online courses in the full range of disciplines, including foreign language, math, science, social studies, language arts and physical education, as well as many advanced placement courses. The school also offers English as a second language and special education.

 “Virtual High School Opens ‘Doors’ to Learning.”  explains how the program works.The school is designed primarily for students eligible to attend a Defense Department school but who don’t live near one.  Some students attending local schools might need particular courses to graduate, as a result of having moved from school to school, and the virtual high school solves this problem.

Students currently attending Defense Department schools can request to take classes online, but only when there’s a scheduling conflict or a required course isn’t offered. At this point the virtual high school isn’t meant to be the only way students receive education, but rather a means to fill in while the student attends a regular school. The hope is to create virtual elementary and middle schools down the road, and plans are being laid to get the virtual high school certified to grant diplomas, but to do this it would have to offer all courses needed to meet graduation requirements.

I’m not of the age group that jumps willingly into new technologies, but it is easy to see how this program might be immensely helpful in keeping teenagers motivated to pursue and excel at their studies.  I was fortunate to have a lot of excellent teachers in my day, and I wouldn’t trade the daily socializing for time in front of a computer monitor, but this seems to be an excellent means to help vulnerable and stressed young people over the bumps in the road to graduation.  Perhaps in the next generation of scholars and high achievers there will be some who were helped to stay on track by programs like these.