Students Are Using Alternative School to Get Ahead
Before the Internet, alternative schools sometimes took on unfavorable connotations. Whether warranted or not, many people tended to think that these schools were for kids in need of remediation or extra attention for their education. But times have changed, thanks to the wide expanse that is the Internet today. The new alternative school is a virtual school. And unlike its past connotations, virtual schools are becoming well-respected and effective solutions for many children around the world.
The Benefits of Virtual Online High School
Every child is different and has specific needs. This is the main benefit of virtual online schools. It is set up to accommodate individual needs. Children that thrive at virtual alternative schools include gifted children, special needs children, children who have physical disabilities, mental disorders, are ahead of their grade, are behind on certain subjects, have unique schedules (for example, children who are actors), are highly independent or who simply prefer an online learning situation.
There are two main reasons these new alternative schools are so effective: Flexibility and student support. Because virtual schools are online, they are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, giving students the flexibility to choose when to do school and when to take breaks. In addition, students have multiple avenues of getting support for their schoolwork. In traditional schools, students looking for extra educational help have to try and catch up with their teachers before or after class or school, or during lunch break. Virtual schools provide more options for student support. Students can email, text, or call their teachers, or they can watch an online video to find the answer to their problem.
How Virtual Online School Helped Willow
“I’m doing my school work at 2 in the morning instead of 9 a.m.,” Willow Tufano who attends a virtual online school said. “I really like that flexibility.” Because of that flexibility, she is doing better academically than she was in a traditional school, and she had the time to start her own business, which resulted in her becoming a successful real estate investor at only 14 years old.
What Is the Quality of the Education?
The academic standards are just as high at virtual schools as they are at traditional brick and mortar schools. On an interesting note, the U.S. Department of Education evaluated online and traditional learning and found that, when studying the same coursework, children who attended online schools performed better than those who attended traditional brick and mortar schools. This doesn’t mean that all children should switch to an alternative high school. One type of school isn’t inherently better than the other. It all depends on which the child prefers.
Is the traditional school setting not meeting your child’s needs? Is your child interested in an online learning experience? Attend a live open house webinar to learn about our virtual online school program.
