Online High Schools
Without a doubt, future growth in distance learning will happen at the K-12 level. We are fast becoming saturated with online college degree programs. After all, how many undergraduate programs do we really need in business?
Online high schools have been growing at an astounding rate. With the recent announcements of the sale of Insight Schools in Washington to the Apollo Group, the company that owns the University of Phoenix, and the entrance of educational powerhouse Kaplan into the market with its acquisition of Sagemont Virtual, which runs the University of Miami Online High School, it is only a matter of time before things explode.
And, for what it's worth, we are a country that has many people of adult age who do not have a high school diploma. Likewise, we have many students of high school age that are looking for alternatives to the public schools. The dramatic growth in homeschooling illustrates that point.
However, and this is what some fail to understand, the online high school phenomenon is greater than just homeschoolers. Many of the high school age students participating do not identify themselves as homeschoolers and do not come from traditional homeschooling families.
How Do You Choose an Online High School?
Selecting an online high school is not very different from selecting an online college. You need to look at many of the same features such as:
- Accreditation. If it does not have recognized accreditation, you should be careful. Yes, there are some acceptable programs that only have state approval. Be careful, though, that the approval includes oversight and is not just a license to do business. You can find recognized accreditors at CHEA.org.
- History. What kind of experience does the school have with online education? Has the school been offering online and/or distance learning high school programs for more than just a year or two?
- Teacher contact. Online high schools offer a variety of contact possibilities, from no teacher contact all the way to required five-day-a week virtual classroom. Decide now what it is you need. Are you just looking for a little homeschool support? Or do you need an entire program and someone to assist you on a daily basis? You can now find online high schools that fit any of these requirements.
- Cost. This can vary widely from free to $10,000 a year or more. Is there a difference in quality based on cost? There can be, but there doesn't have to be. There are a number of quite good high school programs that are reasonably priced.
What To Avoid When Looking at Online High Schools
Determining which online high schools to avoid can be almost as tricky as determining which to choose. You will find programs that assert that they are accredited, claim that tuition is paid for by Fortune 500 companies, and say that they have thousands of graduates.
While this all may be true, this tells me a few things:
- That the school may have made up its own fake accreditation.
- That there are companies out there that do not check closely enough. However, if you get caught, and you will eventually get caught, you will likely be fired. Even if, and this is important, even if you did not know it was a fake high school.
- Thousands of graduates means nothing except that some "school" was able to find that many people who did not know what they were doing.
My e-mail is full of students, both high school and college students, who come to me to help them fix their mistakes. The most common mistake is investing money into a school that was not a school.
Regardless of what the school tells you, do your own research. Is it really accredited by a real accreditor? Check whether or not an accrediting agency is legitimate at the Council of Higher Education Accreditation's Web site.
Importantly, you cannot earn a high school diploma by taking a test online. You cannot earn a high school diploma in one week or one month. High school diplomas require real work.
Free Online High School Programs
Yes, there are definitely free programs out there. This is my most common question. The free online high school programs come in two forms:
- Programs started by state departments of education. More of these programs seem to offer only courses and not diplomas, but you will want to check with the Web site of your home state's department of education to clarify your unique situation.
- Charter schools. While public schools, they operate with fewer rules. However, the free part only applies to certain geographical areas, commonly states, but also counties and regions. Most of these schools limit themselves to high school-aged students, but there are some that go as high as twenty-one.
How To Find The Right Online High School
Looking at online education Web sites like eLearners.com and BestOnlineHighSchools.com is a good place to start. Also, try asking for opinions at distance learning discussion forums like the eLearners Community and DegreeInfo.com.
You may wish to check out my latest book, Complete Guide to Online High Schools. A little gauche to suggest my own book, but feel free to get your local public library to order a copy.
I also highly recommend reading the articles about online education on this site. While the vast majority is about online higher education, the advice offered translates well.
Thomas Nixon is the author of "Complete Guide to Online High Schools: Distance Learning Options For Teens & Adults" as well as other book and articles on distance learning. He is the manager of BestOnlineHighSchools.com. For regular comments, check out his blog at BestOnlineHighSchools.com/blog/.
