Online High Schools 

Public Education At Home And Online

By Nancy Sutton Smith

Cyber, Virtual and Online High Schools are now widely available in 29 states and are funded by each state's department of education. High School students can get free curriculum, often a loaned computer and reimbursement for internet charges. If you don't have the time or desire to home school but need an alternative to public education, these cyber high schools are a viable alternative and a better future for your disenchanted and disheartened learner. Parents report higher self esteem, more direct learning and much happier children with a Cyber High School education.       Your child has one shot at being a high school student in the traditional age range. In the past, if public school wasn't working and private school sent you to the poor house, you had to settle for just getting through with your eyes shut and hoping your son or daughter had a better experience in college or community college. Or you are one of the now millions of people who said enough and home-schooled their children at their own expense (and curriculum isn't cheap!). Whether these brave souls who have been splitting off from public school in record numbers, scared the schools into realizing they had to do something creative is anyones guess.      Colleges creating distance learning and independent companies creating High School programs have raised the bar so education departments knew they had to compete. It's a slow process but they are getting there and the results, no matter what you read in the polls, are good and getting better daily. Cyber or Online learning is the answer for many teens that can't tolerate a classroom situation or are tired of the wasted time spent in the traditional school day. Maybe you've seen some of these kids being interviewed for national stories talking about how much they like being done with their school day in 5 or so hours. With homework done, they are on to a guilt free night with friends, art classes, dance classes....it's their time, not time for piles of busywork homework.       Each state has a different structure, some better, some just beginning so you will have to call your own state's DOE to get more information. Most states now have an online or charter school section on their state website, so the online school information should be there. Make sure and ask about a loaner computer and internet connection costs and whether the district will allow your teen to participate in high school sports or fine arts. Often they will because you are still connecting to their district through the cyber or online high school. But keep in mind, districts don't like online school because it takes a student out of their rolls but they still have to pay the bill. Most districts won't be helpful in this process so bypass them and call your state Department of Education. Many states have a charter school coordinator who does nothing but deal with charter and online programs so when you call, ask for that specific person. Lastly, good luck and don't give up. In 10 years cyber charter schools will be the norm rather than the exception as public schools explode in population and problems. There is no need to feel frustrated about homework, bad teachers, No Child Left Behind and no school support. There are finally alternatives in Cyber High School education and they will get better and better with each passing year. For more information and constant updates on the latest Cyber High Schools go to Cyber High Schools.