Online High School in Lake Havasu School District

http://www.distance-educator.com/Article15953.phtml

"Online High School Expanding to Meet Arizona's Growing Demand for Online Education - Education News - RedOrbit." RedOrbit Science, Space, Technology, Health News and Information. Web. 17 June 2010..

Summary

The Lake Havasu School District in Arizona is expanding its online high school to meet the demands of a growing population. The program has received “recognition for its academic rigor, highly experienced teachers, and commitment to partnering with parents to help each child succeed.” Havasuonline is a public, free high school opened to students in Arizona in grades 9-12. The online high school offer offers curriculum that is found in a traditional high school setting as well as six world languages, more than 20 Advanced Placement courses, and technology classes such as video production, game design, and Java Scripting.

Response

My issue with this “article” is that it read more like an advertisement than any kind of real analysis of the school. While I believe that an online high school can be rigorous and meet the needs of most students, I wonder how much face-to-face interaction the students receive. I don’t feel like virtual classrooms and common areas for students to interact are enough for students of this age to develop necessary social skills--I would like to see students interact in the flesh. I am curious to see research regarding this topic.