Online Education for Your Teen: Pros and Cons

I remember in 5^th grade, 1978, our class read an article that stated in the near future, school will held via computer. There were accompanying images, children poised in front of computer screens, watching a teacher point to a blackboard. How novel, impossible, exotic, and convenient, I thought. I was jealous!

Well, the future has arrived. Entirely online schools are arguably the newest and most promising and revolutionary thing in education reform, and they offer many advantages and opportunities previously impossible. There are some potential sacrifices, drawbacks and dynamics to consider, however.

Like a lot of parenting decisions, deciding whether online high school is right for your teen (and you!) is a matter of trade-offs, and determining and weighing needs vs. desires. My 15 year old son has been to traditional public school, charter schools, and now, he is enrolled full time in an accredited, online private high school, The American Academy.

It has been a godsend for us, but we've run into some issues that should be considered before making the decision to jump in head first. Below are some of these dynamics, both pros and cons, some obvious, and some less so, based on our full year of online high school experience. First, the good news (pros) then, the bad (cons.)

Keep in mind too, that I can only speak of experience in our particular school-other online high schools may have their various customs and rules.

Pros

Freedom to travel

For families that travel a lot (or would like to,) online high school literally opens up a new world. In our school, all that is required is internet access, and approved proctors for taking certain tests, and finals. My son recently took a final while we were traveling, at a public library, with a librarian as his proctor. It all worked out great.

We even have trips planned in the near future for Kansas, Montreal, and even an extended stay for him with family friends in Italy. This would be a pipe dream if he were enrolled in a traditional school.

Extreme minimal time constraints for assignments and tests

In our school, students have up to six months to finish each class. There are no deadlines on assignments, and all quizzes, tests, and finals can be taken according to the student's own timeframe. Although there's something to be said for learning to work under a bit of pressure with deadlines, it is a welcome relief to impose your own. It also means that classes can be completed very quickly with no fussing around.

Academically challenging

We are pleasantly pleased to find out that online high school offers a fairly classical education, and so far, is more challenging than the public schools my son has attended. Of course, this is his first year of high school, so that may have something to do with it as well.

No red tape or school district politics

If you choose a private, accredited online high school, there is no obligation to adhere to state laws about homeschooling (because it's not homeschooling) or state mandated testing, or other regulations.

If you've been struggling unsuccessfully with counselors, IEP plans, school boards, and the like, online school might be the answer for your situation. This is because some of the issues that are often addressed with individual education plans (those requiring more basic & simple measures) are automatically taken care of with online school: quiet work space, minimal distractions, testing parameters.

Conducive to parental involvement

One of my biggest issues with public school was feeling a lack of direct involvement-specifically, no reliable knowledge of my son's assignments, due dates, and the like. He had a big problem with organization, and it certainly wasn't the teachers' job to organize everything for him. I always knew that is where I could intervene effectively, and really teach him to get organized for himself in the process. It just never happened in regular school, no matter what kind of plan the teachers, my son, and I set up.

In talking to other parents, it seems this profound lack of organization is a pretty ubiquitous problem. It seems so unfair to have your child's grades far below what they could be, not due to any real academic issues, but this common problem.

Because everything is online, it's easily accessible by the parent. There's no guessing what assignments have been turned in, or need to be completed, and nothing can mysteriously "go missing" because everything's done and saved online.

Cons

Expense

This might be the biggest consideration for most families. While there are some online school programs that are free, some, like ours, require tuition. There is a break though-good grades and completion of courses earn discounts, as well as rating classes and taking surveys. These discounts have made a huge difference in our tuition.

Self governance

Many parents may view this dynamic as a pro. Ultimately, I do as well. However, I put it in the con section, because it has personally been our biggest immediate struggle with online school. If responsibility is a problem with your student in a regular school, it is likely going to be a problem in online high school. For parents who are not able to be home all day, or otherwise present, monitoring the student's work, a student must be responsible, mature, self-reliant, and disciplined to succeed.

This experience can certainly teach the student these things, but it isn't going to happen on its own; it's going to take a lot of parental involvement, and corrective discipline. Make sure you are prepared for this dynamic.

Also, if a parent is able to be home all day with the student, be prepared for all the 24/7 togetherness. If your student has been away at school all day for ten years since kindergarten, this can be an unexpected, trying experience for everyone. Summers are not a good example of what it is going to be like, since they are not filled with the stress of school work.

Social

Although the freedom of online high school can open things up for your teenager's cultural and social experiences-traveling, time off, etc.-it also stops the traditional high school experience in its tracks. There are no automatic proms, football games, clubs, after school hang outs, or dances that we all took for granted, and dearly remember. It can still be had, but you and your teen will have to seek it out, and it will be a bit different.

Some school districts allow "homeschooled" students to take advantage of extracurricular activities, and even classes. Also, some communities with larger homeschooling populations form independent groups for their children to take part in traditional school experiences, like prom. Obviously, going to online high school isn't technically homeschooling, but for many purposes, it can conveniently fit into that category.

Minimal teacher involvement

While in no way do I mean to imply the online teachers are not doing their job, there is a huge difference with teacher presence and involvement in online high school than in regular school. In our school, there is no option for "real time" interaction. Everything is handled by email, and through the program.

A simple question regarding an assignment, or mistake in grading, or any kind of immediate concern, can take days to get addressed. Because of the lack of time constraints, it's easy to go on to something else and wait for the communication. It takes a bit of getting used to, however, and requires patience from parent and student.

Another issue we've generally run into is a lack of detailed and comprehensive feedback on assignments and grades. If your teen values and relies on lots of interactivity and advice from teachers, this may be a big problem. It may be remedied by asking for more feedback, remarks, and direction-all the teachers my son has had have been very accommodating.

So, if you are considering online high school for your teenager, know that although it might seem like a quick fix for your child's particular situation, it is a big commitment, with its own set of new dynamics to consider.