I came across this interesting article in Ed Week which discusses a report commissioned by K-12, Inc which was conducted by the New York City-based Interactive Education Systems Design in collaboration with the Center for Research in Educational Policy at the University of Memphis, found that students in full-time online programs had social skills that were equal to or better than their peers in traditional brick-and-mortar public schools.
Since we discuss these topics as well, I thought our readers would be interested in the article and the report. I am not a believer that 100% virtual schools are the right model in general, but I do believe they have the place and it is good to know that their introduction is not having a negative impact on a child’s ability to socialize with others. I do think that the blending of virtual or computer based learning within a traditional brick and mortar environment is a better model. But, if school systems ignore the trend towards virtual learning, they do so at some cost to their own viability.
As always, let us know what you think.
