Virtual Learning New Choices for Better
Education,
Stronger Economy
By Ron Brumbarger
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”
These words ring especially true in the knowledge-based economy, in which the price of ignorance can be measured in lost income and missed opportunities. A high school graduate typically earns $7,000 a year more than a high school dropout, while the average college graduate earns well over twice as much. In an age in which we should consider post-high school education as our minimal benchmark, we are actually floundering at achieving the very basics.
Looking at the broader economy, a well-educated workforce is the most important predictor of economic development success. Good jobs go where the skilled people are, and wages rise along with educational attainment.
Hoosiers have struggled to navigate the new economic landscape, in which human capital is king. We rank just 44th in the percentage of college graduates in our adult workforce. A recent study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce (“Indiana’s High School Graduation Rate: A New Look at the Past Decade”) shows that Indiana’s high school graduation rate has steadily declined over the last 10 years …with nearly a quarter of a million students leaving school before earning their high school diplomas in the last 12 years.
Our poor educational performance is a major reason why Hoosiers earn just 90 cents for every dollar earned by the average American. We can do better. We must do better.
Offering alternatives
There are a variety of policy prescriptions and critical priorities that must be addressed to improve public education in Indiana. Among them is the need to offer alternative programs to serve students who may not thrive or reach their full potential in the traditional school setting.
One solution that’s gaining momentum is the virtual public school, using the Internet to deliver a more personalized education that is tailored to every student’s individual academic needs. Today, more than 2.5 million college students take classes online, and more than 150 virtual schools serve more than 65,000 students at the K-12 level. Earlier this year, Indiana joined 18 other states offering this option to students.
The Indiana Virtual Charter School (INVCS) combines a strong online curriculum with hands-on supervision by parents or other responsible adults and a statewide network of state-certified teachers that communicate with students via e-mail, telephone, “electronic classrooms,” and face-to-face meetings on a regular basis and whenever help is needed. Students enrolled in INVCS receive a computer and Internet access, plus supplies (textbooks, workbooks, materials for science and other hands-on projects) that are shipped to the student. Because INVCS is a public school, there is no cost to the student.
Meeting student needs
INVCS students get report cards and participate in ISTEP testing, like any other public school students. And yet the model for the INVCS allows students to receive a more individualized educational program. Students can learn at their own pace with a curriculum that meets or exceeds Indiana academic standards in every area. And far from practicing “education by remote control,” the INVCS program requires daily adult supervision and interaction with trained teachers.
For children with special needs, gifted students, those who may not be physically able to attend a traditional school or any family that wants a more focused, results-oriented educational program, virtual schools like INVCS can be the answer.
The INVCS option removes the boundaries of set times and locations for learning. Gifted or challenged students are no longer forced to conform to the learning time table of a class of 30. In a world in which custom blue jeans and M&M candies can be ordered online and delivered overnight, why would we not seek to do the same for our children’s education?
Technology advantage
Because INVCS students will be introduced to technology at an early age to learn and communicate with others on a daily basis, they may also be better prepared than many of their peers to tackle careers in the growing information technology (IT) field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nearly a million new jobs in information technology will be created between 2004 and 2014; with attrition, the total number of IT job openings could rise to 1.5 million. That represents an annual growth rate of 3.1%, more than twice the rate of growth in the life sciences, for example.
Improving the quality of education is the only way to make Indiana a more prosperous state and take advantage of opportunities in the high-tech economy. And tackling the education issue means embracing innovation, not being afraid of change. By providing more choices to Hoosier families, education options like the Indiana Virtual Charter School will strengthen our public education system – and ultimately build a more educated, technology-friendly workforce and a growing economy.
Author: Ron Brumbarger, president and CEO of BitWise Solutions (an Indiana web design and development company) is chairman of the board of trustees of the Indiana Virtual Charter School. He can be contacted at (317) 805-4376. To learn more about the school, go to www.invcs.org.
Virtual Learning