HEM Virtual School Column Big on Fear, Short on Facts

In Risks Public Virtual Schools Pose to Homeschools in the April issue of Home Education Magazine, venerable HEM columnists Larry and Susan Kaseman spin the tired argument that public virtual schools uncategorically threaten homeschooling.

While the Kasemans dedication to homeschool freedom is obvious and praiseworthy, and some of their past discussions on this issue have raised some substantial concerns, like truth in advertising issues , this particular column poses largely unsubstantiated arguments that haven't changed much over time, even as virtual schools and homeschoolers have both continued to proliferate.

As far back as 2000, the Kasemans were issuing dire warnings about “alternative public programs.” In “Homeschoolers: Is our good name for Sale?” (HEM,October 2000) , the Kasemans waxed speculative on alternative ed students identifying themselves as homeschoolers:

“…The general public will conclude that "homeschoolers" are people who teach their children at home under the control, guidance, direction, and supervision of public schools.”

They contended that assurances that students could take classes a la carte and that families could enjoy the best of both worlds-- freedom to choose what the student could study and support and resources from the public schools – was false. And, more problematically, they suggested homeschoolers oppose the formation of alternative public school programs in their states, somehow concluding that denying others choices would preserve ours.

Well, here we are, nearly a decade later, and “alternative public school programs” are abundant, particularly in the form of virtual schools. Homeschoolers here in FL use Florida Virtual School extensively, as do homeschoolers in other states who have similar offerings.

It’s important to note that the general public does not, in fact, believe that homeschoolers are people who teach their children at home under the supervision of public schools, and homeschoolers, in many states, do, in fact, have the freedom to choose which alternative ed classes they’d like to use, without ill effect.

I think that now, (as would have been helpful then) we need to look at the actual facts about the issue at hand, which this time concerns virtual schools, and to understand the real needs and interests of the homeschoolers who may use them.

First, there are two distinct categories of virtual school users -- those who are public school students, completely and fully enrolled in a public virtual school program, like K-12 or Connections, completing specific attendance requirements and, usually, state mandated testing.

And second, those who are not public school students, but because of the laws in their state may use a virtual school program in part, or in full, to supplement a home or private school education program without any additional burden of oversight by the state.

While public school families using the programs might sometimes call themselves homeschoolers, and may even participate in local homeschool group activities, by and large they know their children are public school students and subject to public school laws and regulations.

To that end, the Kaseman's contention that they considered "homeschoolers' perspectives on virtual schools" in their article bears further examination, because the main perspective seems to be their own, without supporting evidence that homeschoolers using these programs were consulted at all.

Among the erroneous statements in the column:

Public distance learning, or virtual schools cost families money.

In FL and several other states now, public online classes are tuition-free for homeschoolers, just as they are for public school students. And dual enrollment options for local colleges often include the option of online study, also tuition free.

“They require students to follow someone else's direction rather than encouraging them to take responsibility for their own learning and pursue what interests them."

Speaking with respect to Florida Virtual School (FLVS), and from conversations with families using other virtual programs, I and many others would disagree with that statement. Students using virtual school programs can be as driven, or not, as any public, private or home education student normally is. But the majority tend to be quite responsible for their own learning.

Children enrolled in virtual schools might “learn from the real world when they're not doing school work. However, they have less time and energy for such learning."

That’s a conjecture definitely not supported by most people’s experiences. Virtual schools often free up students -- and their parents' money -- for other activities or programs, including sports, music, art, or pursuing special interests, and provide access to more learning and social options.

"Another question is how a curriculum someone else has developed would affect our homeschool."

We should ask that, as well, about Abeka, Saxon, Singapore, Rosetta Stone and all the other numerous learning programs and curricula homechoolers use. If this is the basis for the argument against virtual schools, it must be broadened to include a discussion of all prepared curricula, and that's another conversation altogether.

"Enrolling children in a virtual school has serious consequences. Virtual schools require that children catch on or memorize at least temporarily and feed back on tests the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that the developers of the program chose. Parents who enroll children in any school are surrendering much of their control over their children's educations. "

So most parents who homeschool don’t expect their children to catch on, memorize at least temporarily or provide feedback on materials or information they provide their children? Parents are no more surrendering control over their children’s educations by using virtual schools than are parents using prepared curricula, or taking their children to a gymnastics class, or using a tutor.

“..virtual schools are by their very nature more intense and precise than conventional classrooms.

Actually, they are not. They are, by their very nature, often more flexible and adaptable than conventional classrooms, allow for more personal interaction with instructors, more interactive and engaging learning, and are far less stressful than a crowded, noisy, distracting classroom. They also work much better for students with certain learning needs or difficulties, reducing the group learning stress that can occur even among siblings in a homeschool.

"Parents surrender more, and it can be more significant and have greater impact, when they enroll their children in a virtual school than in a conventional school."

It can be argued that parents retain more. They retain hard earned money; they retain the ability to work, if they need to; they retain the ability to participate in learning with their children; they retain the ability to be home with their children; they retain the comfort of knowing they have a good resource available for their children if they feel they lack some skill, usually in secondary education, or if their children want a particular class they're not familiar with – all things they don’t retain when their children attend a conventional school, or if a parent feels stressed, or inadequate to the task of teaching certain material.

The “stark efficiency” of virtual schools, the Kasemans say, raises the question, “ As parents, do we really want someone else to have that much control over what goes into our children's brains? Do we want our children to learn in this way, instead of figuring things out themselves and experiencing the thrill of discovery?"

There is a season and a time for everything. Sometimes the thrill of spontaneous discovery is the best way to learn, and sometimes having access to more structured content is better. As parents, I think what we really want is access to choice in learning – whether in a library, via prepared curricula, through a tutor, in a youth club, or, sometimes, with a virtual school.

Parents who consider enrolling their children in a public virtual school “ must accept the curriculum chosen by the state. This dictates what knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values children will be expected to acquire and demonstrate that they have acquired, " say the Kasemans.

Again, any time we use a prepared program, we’re accepting someone else’s curricula for the period that we’re using it. Most homeschoolers are independent minded enough to take what they find useful from such programs, state created or otherwise, and discard the rest. I think you can trust us.

"Religiously-based curriculums are not an option," complain the Kasemans, " even from curriculum providers who offer them to private schools, including homeschools. "

Those seeking religiously based curricula will probably not use a virtual school for religiously based learning. And then there's church, of course, which is usually the best place for religious education.

The Kasemans bottom line: “ Virtual public school students who happen to study in their homes (rather than using computers at their local public school or elsewhere) are not homeschoolers.”

This is false. In Florida we are, in fact, without a doubt, and quite legally, homeschoolers. In a few other states homeschoolers using similar programs are, as well.

Then they go on to say,"The point is not WHAT we homeschoolers choose but THAT we choose, that we as parents make the choice. By contrast, families who choose public virtual schools are letting legislators, public officials, school boards, teachers, and others dictate their children's education.

These are conflicting statements. If the point is not what we choose, then choosing a virtual school should pose no concern for homeschoolers who choose otherwise. If we're to extend the Kasemans' argument further, then families choosing to attend a museum or zoo class, hire a tutor, or use a homeschool cooperative are also letting others dictate their children's education.

If we're to follow that thread to its natural conclusion, then homeschool parents should rely on nothing but their own knowledge, however limited or incomplete it might be, to teach their children, and their children would be counseled against college for fear of others dictating their education there, as well.

I think the real bottom line is choice. By virtue of making a virtual school choice, the call is ours alone, and we decide how and when and to what degree we use such a program. We are not ignorant for so choosing, nor are we foolish. We are not abdicating responsibility to anyone else for our children’s learning. We are using an available resource, like a library, like a tutor, like a community center or a music teacher.

Among other things, the Kasemans conclude, “It is also in our best interest to work for the least intrusive means of regulation of students of public virtual schools that are located in students' homes.”

And that’s why the FLVS model works so well, and why generalized statements don’t.

To understand how virtual schools work in Florida, visit http://www.learningis4everyone.org/content/view/96/39/

To understand homeschoolers using virtual schools, try talking to a few and letting them speak with their own voices.

PHF