North Carolina middle and high school students who feel traditional schools are not the best fit for them will soon have a new option, if a resolution allowing the establishment of an online charter school is approved by the State Board of Education Thursday. Opponents say such a school would not be in the best interests of students.
The proposed school, New Connections Academy, would be publicly funded and almost entirely based on distance learning via the Internet. Students would stay at home and complete readings and assignments posted online, under the supervision of both a certified teacher in another location and a more easily accessible mentor, possibly a parent, who would ensure that the student is doing the work.
Mickey Revenaugh, vice president of Sylvan Ventures, a Baltimore-based private firm that would establish the school, said the school would serve the needs of students who do not fit into a traditional learning environment. In particular, students who are hospitalized or face physical disabilities might find the program useful. Also, children who do not feel challenged by schoolwork, who do not fit in socially at local schools, or those who are involved in sports or performance arts and must travel frequently could stand to gain from the program, Revenaugh said.
But such a radical approach to education has its detractors. The North Carolina School Boards Association has come out against the proposal, partly because its members believe such a school could limit the social horizons of its students.
"Of great concern to NCSBA are issues of... the inability of students to develop quality relationships with educators, the inability of students to work with one another and to build socialization skills," a press release from the group said.
Revenaugh agreed such a problem could arise, but contended the school will help facilitate students' involvement in sports and internship programs within their communities. "We're taking the face-to-face issue very seriously," she said.
Revenaugh also said the use of technology in teaching does not necessarily mean students will develop social impediments. "Much of the social interaction in the workplace today is via technology," she said.
State Board of Education chair Phil Kirk opposes the charter primarily because it could take funds away from public schools, setting a precedent of supporting home schools with public money. "I'm not against home schooling, I just don't think that it should be paid for in tax dollars," Kirk said. The NCSBA expressed the same concern.
The school, based in Granville County, would start out by teaching students in grades six through 10, with a target enrollment of about 340 children. Later, that number could be increased to 600. Students would receive a free computer and Internet services upon enrollment if they did not already have them.
To ensure that pupils are keeping up to speed with their peers in traditional schools, they would be required to take statewide achievement tests in proctored locations.
Although the Cumberland County school system operates a "Web Academy" for students who are temporarily unable to attend school functions, this school would be the first of its kind in North Carolina almost completely based on distance learning.
Currently, 97 publicly funded charter schools operate in North Carolina, and state law allows a maximum of 100. The Charter School Advisory Board reviewed 18 applications this year and recommended five for approval, including New Connections Academy. However, the State Board of Education can approve at most three more schools.
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