Making Distance Learning Work
The Cincinnati Public Schools launched a Virtual High School in 2001. By the end of the first year, the participation rates of the students was so poor that half were dropped from the school. The program has been radically redesigned, recognizing that “…most students need rigid deadlines, human interaction and positive reinforcement to succeed. ”
The program now requires that students come to the building housing the Virtual High School at least twice a week for 90 minutes. There is also much tighter monitoring of student progress and effort. The revised program seems to benefit those students participating, who range from kids that struggled in regular classes to really bright students that were bored with the pace of normal classes.
The Cincinatti Enquirer has article online about this program at http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/10/08/loc_virtualschool08.html.