Virtual Public Schools Soon a Reality

Wow... With all the cutbacks and energy saving plans issued by federal, state, and local governments, I saw this coming. Checkout Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch on Virtual Public Schools.

"The schools would have no desks or lockers, not even a cafeteria to trade gossip over a plate of chicken nuggets. Instead, students could take classes from the comfort of their homes or a neighborhood coffeehouse, as teachers convey lessons via the Internet. This is a snapshot of virtual public schools in Massachusetts, which could open as soon as this fall, enabling hundreds of students to take all their classes online. The schools are being developed under a little-known provision of the state’s sweeping education law enacted in January. The law, which urges districts to pursue innovations, gave local school committees authority to create public schools that operate almost entirely in cyberspace. Across the nation, virtual public schools have been growing in popularity in such states as Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, online education specialists say." Source: Boston Globe


Items for this culture brief are compiled from Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch blog.