all want or need something that is not offered or available in the traditional school. For example, students in rural communities can take classes such as Latin or AP calculus that their schools are too small or too poor to offer. Sick or hospitalized students can finish their class work without falling behind. Even gifted students, students who have problems in the regular classroom, and students traveling with their parents can use this alternative method of education. Since the accessibility of the Internet, online learning has made leaps and bounds into the educational landscape. The online pioneers of online schools are The Virtual High School and the Florida Online High School in Orlando, Florida. Both were founded in 1996 and serve as models for other online education ventures. The Florida school was first created as a pilot project but is not paid for by the state. It offered 64 courses this fall and has about 2,500 students. The Virtual School offers 155 course sections and has about 2,800 students from high schools all over the country. Neither school offers a diploma. However, two other online schools do. These are Choice 2000 Charter School in Perris, California and the Basehor-Linwood Virtual Charter School in Basehor, Kansas. Choice 2000 offers synchronous classes. The teacher and the students are online together at the same time each day. This fall the school enrolled 350 students, with no more that 15 students in a class. Basehor-Linwood was created to specifically attract home-school children. It offers courses for students in first through twelfth grade and grants diplomas through the state of Kansas. They designed their courses for parents to access and teach to their children. Virtual schooling is not for all children. Most online educators agree that students must possess motivation and self-discipline, and they must be able to read and write proficiently. Those students with a strong need for ...
