Cyber skepticism

Many in the world of education have become enamored with the promise of online learning.  At the college level, enthusiasm has primarily been channeled into talk about Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, which boosters say will democratize higher education.  At the K-12 level, advocates of online learning have outlined an even more radical vision.  Rather than supplementing the work of traditional brick-and-mortar schools, they see online education replacing neighborhood schools.  And they are making inroads.  A majority of states have now set up virtual schools.  And the largest of them—the Florida Virtual School—enrolled 150,000 students in the 2011-2012 school year.

Students at virtual schools will be getting a lesser education than their more privileged peers at brick-and-mortar schools.

Advocates of virtual schools make some compelling arguments.  One, for instance, is that students who take courses online can learn at their own pace and customize their curricular experiences.  Another—even more compelling to an equity advocate like myself—is that geography should not be destiny.  Students who live in low-income urban neighborhoods or small rural communities, they argue, should not be denied access to great teachers and rigorous courses.  That is absolutely true.