If you’re looking for a bright spot in K-12 education, check out an article in the current edition of the Minnesota Sun on the Minnesota Connections Academy, one of two dozen or so online options available to Minnesota students.
The article mentions several families who benefit from online programs: A girl in Eagan who was failing classes, suffers from some learning deficiencies, is now on the honor roll. In another family, the children take classes on the weekends, and spend Wednesdays and Thursdays with their father, whose work as a trucker gives him the day off.
Do such children suffer from a lack of socialization? Hardly. The Eagan girl has friends in the neighborhood and in an ice-skating program. The principale of hte academy says that other students are “looking for a social environment free of negative aspects” of traditional schools, “like bullying.”
Will online learning revolutionize education? Several education experts think it’s possible, including Clay Christensen, Terry Moe and John Chubb, and Paul Peterson. I’ve also written a paper (PDF) on it. (It’s several years old and doesn’t focus on Minnesota, but it does offer a quick overview of the practice). In Minnesota, 7,800 children participated in online programs in 2009, and enrollment is growing from year to year, making online programs an important supplement to today’s school systems.
To its credit, Minnesota does not, as far as I know, have an enrollment cap on virtual school programs. Its charter school law (perhaps the best in the country) helps. Though traditional school districts can and do operate virtual school programs, online programs fit well within the “let’s shake things up” approach that the charter school model encourages.