The K-12 Online Education Revolution Part 2
Online Education Solves Offline Problems
But online K-12 education (whether as a supplement or a replacement) offers an answer to all of these issues. Students can, within reason, set their own pace. Curriculum is far more varied, and can be tailored to each student’s particular needs and learning style. Students can customize their learning to find the post-high school path that is best for them. And, according to K12 Inc., America’s largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs for students in kindergarten through high school, instructors can direct their efforts to the individual student, creating an environment that is less like traditional teaching and more like tutoring. It becomes possible to address “problem” students individually and provide one-on-one solutions where none were available before.
The expense of online education to the government can be, when priced honestly and responsibly, much less than the classroom alternative. A great deal of the cost of education comes from the school itself – the construction and upkeep of the necessary buildings. Online education allows resources to be redirected from hugely expensive facilities to teachers and other educational professionals.
Students are often stymied by their local high schools in their attempts to enroll in AP courses. There are severe limits to class size. As a result, stringent requirements exist which shut out many students who are perfectly capable of doing the coursework. And any given school has a limited selection of AP courses. The online option, however, is far more flexible and provides a far greater variety of courses for college credit for a far greater number of students. A typical online AP institution can offer literally dozens of AP courses, far more than a traditional school.
And the reach is global. Students can attend from anywhere in the world. For the first time in history, schools can become truly “public”.