Virtual Schools Essay

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Introduction
Virtual schools have become a viable method for primary and secondary school age students to obtain an education. It provides students with access to high quality education and opportunities that may not be available to them by traditional education institutions. Barbour and Reeves (2009) present the most common definition of a virtual school as “an entity approved by a state or governing body that offers courses through distance delivery – most commonly using the Internet” (p. 402). Technology has greatly benefited the development and expansion of virtual schools as it serves as a medium for the delivery of education programs to the learners who need it most.
Changes in education policy and reform “focused on expanding educational …show more content…

Although these programs are available to all learners, most virtual school learners are students who are gifted or seeking advanced placement courses, college level courses, at-risk students requiring remedial courses, students who cannot attend a traditional school due to health reasons, and students who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Rice (2006) further expands the type of learners attending virtual schools to include students “who need flexible schedules for employment, or students who want to enrich their education, move at their own pace, or experience learning that fits their particular learning style” (p. 429). Both supplemental and fully online educational programs benefit all learners by providing them with opportunities to obtain the best education available to …show more content…

These categories can be reduced to four types of virtual schools classified as state-supported, single district, consortia, and private schools. Blended schools meet the criteria of schools classified as single district or consortia virtual schools since blended schools provided the same type of programs as these types of virtual school administrations. Multi district virtual schools operate in a similar method as consortium schools in that multiple districts unite resources to offer virtual programs to the learners in the participating

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