Public Online High School Comes to San Jose, California for the First Time

San Jose, California is known for being on the cutting edge of technology and starting in the fall of 2010, San Jose will continue this trend with its first joint venture, online public school. San Jose Unified School District has joined forces with Kaplan Virtual Education to create their first-launched public online high school and middle school program with a new educational system: Liberty Virtual School.

In the past, students only had the option of attending a brick and mortar program in San Jose by enrolling at Liberty High School, an alternative school located in San Jose, California. Liberty High School is a WASC Accredited program that allows students from middle school to high school to work on an individualized independent study program in order to gain an education. The students work with a teacher on an individual basis as they work through their planned curriculum.

Starting with the 2010-2011 school year, Liberty High School is preparing to launch online with Liberty Virtual School, by reaching out to students from the 6^th to 12^th grade throughout all of Santa Clara County. The online school is designed to offer even greater flexibility to students who, for one reason or another, find the traditional classroom setting difficult or incapable of meeting their needs.

Kaplan Virtual Education has created what they call the iTEAM approach to incorporate into the Liberty program. iTeam is an online teaching program that engages students, involves parents; assess student performance, and "manages every aspect of the student's learning cycle," according to Kaplan Virtual Education. While online high schools are not new, online public high schools are.

This cutting edge teaching component of San Jose's online education is designed much like the brick and mortar program. It allows students to work independently, yet with accountability. The school employs local certified teachers who will work with each student in a virtual setting. Most people think of an "alternative school" as a place for kids who "just can't cut it in the real world." This is not the case.

These programs are designed for students who would like to move at a faster pace than the regular classroom speed. It is also for the student who desires to take AP classes. Other students may come from home school settings, whose parents need more assistance once their child reaches the upper grades. It is also for the student who has difficulty with English language in the classroom, and needs more time to learn.

And of course it will offer a successful track to the student who has experienced life circumstances that have caused them to fall behind in school. There are many reasons why a student would choose to attend an online high school. The primary benefit for every student is working with an educator one-on-one at an individual pace that offers optimum success for everyone.

Cyber education isn't for every student, however. It takes self-discipline to work independently. The student must have a strong desire to succeed. It also requires parental support and cooperation as their student stays home and works on their studies, logging in everyday to their online work, and at the required time to meet with their teacher. Social programs and sports may also be absent from online schools bringing to question the need for parents to ensure proper socialization for their child. The student will need access to the Internet and a computer with a current operating system capable of handling the online downloads for JAVA. Furthermore, not all classes are UC/CSU approved for transfer but there may be ways to work around this particular obstacle.

According the Liberty High School website, "While the alternative graduation plan requires the same number of credits, not all classes offered are UC/CSU approved. Many four-year universities will not accept an alternative student as a freshman. However, a successful community college student may transfer to almost any university."

Not only are there pros and cons for suitability of the student, there are also differing opinions to how this may impact the future of the educational system as a whole. While some see this as a threat to the traditional classroom, and traditional role of teachers, others envision this as a way to solve the educational crisis in California. "Liberty Virtual School--I believe that virtual education represents the beginning of a shift in the way we [instruct], not simply in the alternative setting, but for all mainstream teachers. Can you imagine integrating aspects of the virtual environment into your classroom?" (Liberty Virtual School FaceBook posting).

Another San Jose educator said that, "Online education is new and there are some definite problems to it, but it does offer some powerful possibilities."

As with all of the major shifts in our society, as we incorporate the virtual world with the real, nothing can ever replace the need and education one receives both in school and beyond, than the lessons learned from being in a community of people.Charles Dickens once said that, "Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true."

Regardless of how you feel about online education, the acceptance and popularity of online schools or "virtual schools" is growing. Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN), says school districts are increasingly offering virtual classes as part of a hybrid educational system. "Cyberschooling is a disruptive technology in the same way that the iPod disrupted the music business and Amazon.com disrupted the retail book industry." Now only time will tell how online high school, or any online education, will impact the future of our educational system and society.

For more information on enrolling in the Online High School at Liberty Virtual School contact http://kaplanvirtualed.com/liberty/

Sources:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Jose-CA/Liberty-Virtual-School/139762146055900#!/posted.php?id=139762146055900&share_id=114510878600687&comments=1#s114510878600687

http://kaplanvirtualed.com/liberty/

http://www.quotesdaddy.com/tag/Electricity

Kaplan Virtual Education Marketing Material
http://www.sjusd.org/school/learning_options/info/C4692/
Interview with educator from San Jose 7-29-10