Plan for Virtual Schools Raises Concerns

The Joplin Globe
By Sadie Gurman
Globe Capitol Correspondent

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - If a tornado like the one that ripped apart Carl Junction schools in May 2003 came sweeping through again, students could have an opportunity to fire up their computers and attend classes through a statewide, online school.
Under a bill overwhelmingly passed Thursday by the Missouri Senate, the state would establish a virtual school for all kindergarten through high-school students by July 1, 2007. Students who attend school virtually would be counted as public-school students and could attend classes from anywhere in the state. Taxpayer dollars would continue to go to the school district where the students reside.
For students, fewer days would be spent away from learning if the state forms a virtual school. But Phillip Cook, superintendent of Carl Junction schools, said he's not convinced that the course work or learning experience of a virtual school could match the quality of the human contact in an actual classroom.
"There's a lot of meaning that goes into having students in the classroom and having a person who cares about them and loves them, and gives them empathy and teaches them more than just what's in the curriculum," Cook said in a telephone interview. "I am sitting here looking at my computer screen, and it's not giving me any empathy."
The tornado that damaged Carl Junction schools in May 2003 came when students had just 18 days left in the school year, from which they were excused, Cook said. He said that if the same thing were to happen at midyear and school buildings were destroyed, the district would move its students to alternate classrooms and locations rather than immediately logging them onto the virtual school.
"We would work out a way that our kids would be in the classroom," Cook said. "I'm very confident of that."
Other uses
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, said the virtual school wouldn't just provide educational options for students whose schools were damaged. He said in an interview that it would serve public-school students who are homebound because of sickness, disability or discipline problems. Gifted and talented students who seek more challenging classes could find them in the virtual school, he said.
Under the plan, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would coordinate the virtual school, while certified teachers from a third party would manage the course work. The bill requires that the virtual school meet the curriculum demands of a typical school district. At least 13 other states have virtual-school programs in place, and about 50,000 students across the country attend them, Goodman said.
Jim Simpson, superintendent of Joplin public schools, said he's concerned that any student could leave a school in favor of taking online classes. The virtual school would cap enrollment at 500 students in its first year, so there likely would not be any abuse of the program if it passes, Goodman said.
Simpson said in a telephone interview that the virtual-school idea has merit but also has some kinks. He said he wonders how the virtual school would affect high-school dropout rates and how low-income students would be able to afford their own computers.
"It is a new program that has promise for some types of students, but the details need to be looked at and projected," Simpson said.
Joplin schools offer online courses for students seeking high-school equivalency diplomas, but these courses are taken in school computer labs where teachers offer assistance.
Technology
Some home-schooling networks have opposed the bill, saying it could encroach on the freedom home-schooled children and their parents have to customize their own classes. But Lea Ann Piercy, of Joplin, who teaches her two children at home, said she has heard of other parents who use online programs and classes to complement their children's home-school experience. She said she is unfamiliar with the legislation establishing a virtual school, but she knows that the technology involved has helped add structure and substance to some home schools.
Ron Lankford, superintendent of Webb City schools, said that for public schools, such technology doesn't always deliver on its promise. Some Webb City schools have interactive classrooms, in which students watch and communicate with a teacher via television, but these are rarely used because they have not been as effective as teachers had imagined, Lankford said.
He said the technology offered through virtual schools isn't a worthy substitute for an on-site, classroom education. When gifted students find that they have outgrown the Webb City schools' course work, they usually take college classes at Missouri Southern State University. Whatever students' situations may be, the district tries to find a way to accommodate them in the classroom, Lankford said.
Lankford said he also is concerned that a virtual school might strip students of the social skills they acquire in public schools.
"The public school is the one thing left in our community that still brings the community back together," he said.
Now what?
The bill passed the Senate 31-0 on Thursday. A version of the bill has passed the House and awaits a hearing by a Senate committee.