Meeting the Potential of a Virtual Education: Lessons from Operators Making Online Schooling Work

When the first virtual school began more than 20 years ago, it offered an incredible promise: Suddenly, students could get access to a great education and a diversity of courses regardless of place or time. They could have flexibility to "attend" school around medical appointments, sports practices, or whatever else life threw at them. Outside of schoolhouse walls, students could have a more personalized learning experience, pursuing their interests and speeding up or slowing down as needed. This report draws on the experience of two virtual charter schools that are making online schooling work for their students--Idaho Distance Education Academy and New Hampshire's Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. Through their examples, this report highlights lessons learned for other online operators and policymakers who are eager to make virtual school success the rule, rather than the exception.