Analyst: Virtual schools possess potential but lack marketing, data
(BOWLING GREEN, KY) – A new Policy Point released today by the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s free-market think tank, reports that virtual learning programs allowing gifted students to surge ahead and those at risk of dropping out to catch up and remain on the road to graduation suffer from a lack of marketing,
According to “Virtual schooling in Kentucky: Great promise with challenges,” the Kentucky Virtual High School (KVHS) offers 70 different courses ranging from Advanced Placement material to remedial courses yet served only 1,839 students in full-time courses during the 2007-08 school year.
A complimentary program, the Barren Academy of Virtual and Expanded Learning (BAVEL), which especially helps students facing a temporary inability to attend regular public schools because of suspensions/expulsions or serious, but temporary, medical situations, enrolls only about 80 students during the school year and 20 students during the summer.
“These programs have suffered from inadequate marketing and advertising, resulting in enrollment numbers that are quite low compared to the potential student market,” said education analyst Richard G. Innes, who authored the report. “These numbers could increase significantly if a concerted effort was made to enroll the thousands of students dropping out of Kentucky’s public high schools each year.”
KVHS offers courses in the key academic areas of math, science and language arts and in electives such as career planning, digital video production, Web design, health and personal fitness. Fees range from $165 for a single semester to $330 for the two-semester course.
The state’s Average Daily Attendance funding follows students who transfer to BAVEL.
“However, the district only collects the full daily attendance funding if a student passes all courses,” Innes writes. “The district receives only a prorated amount if a student fails to pass one or more courses. This funding process provides strong motivation for BAVEL staff members to help their students succeed.”
The program’s $50 per course refundable fee also creates “strong incentives for parents and students to stay on task in the virtual environment,” Innes said.
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