It seems like everyday we are getting hit with another way that technology is changing the world; cars that can drive themselves, voice activated home entertainment systems, flat screen TV’s the size of an entire wall of most houses, and high school education.

In the tough economy budgets across the board are being cut, and schools are suffering immensely from this but technology is once again changing the game.  Technology is softening the blow of massive budget and staffing cuts by offering a wide range of classes for students using already existing technology.

Virtual budget reform

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Platforms like the VHS Collaborative offer core and elective courses; credit recovery coursework; summer school; and private and custom-designed coursework offering through a “co-synchronous e-learning model and online teaching philosophy.”  The wide array of courses offered are aimed at various types of students, with 20 Advanced Placement courses students have blown past the national average of the percentage of students who pass the course 66% score a 3 or higher on the AP Exam versus 58% nationally in 2011.

The wide range of courses for non-AP students is also impressive, from programs such as Animal Behavior and Zoology to Preveterinary Medicine, to Constitutional Law and Astronomy Principles, there truly are classes for everyone available.  Even better?  Most school districts heavily subsidize the cost of attendance for their students.

Students at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, Texas have had the VHS program integrated into their school for two years now with one student trying it out last year.  The program was such a success that now 26 students are enrolled and three of their teachers are teaching one of the several hundred available courses worldwide.

Principal Rae Woolphy of Richmond High School in Richmond, Indiana exclaims, “The possibilities are endless, we’re starting out small because we want to uphold the integrity of the online program,” and while the virtual high school is available to any student who wishes to use it, Richmond High has 100 students enrolled in the credit recovery program, which helps to ensure that the students graduate from school on time.  Using GradPoint, produced by Pearson, a specialized program in “dropout prevention, alternative education and English language learning,” which require a student to maintain an 80% or higher in the class in order for it to count towards graduation credit.

Virtual performance boost

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Virtual high schools also can be a boon to underperforming school districts, such as the current situation in Detroit.  By introducing the WAY remote learning program and the Michigan Virtual University district officials are hoping to close the well-documented achievement gap.  The President and CEO of MVU told the Detroit CBS station, “We are excited about the opportunity to serve high-need students with an innovative educational approach that leverages the best of face-to-face support with online instructional delivery models to offer students a new way to achieve academic success.”  It’s unquestionable that the more education a person has, the higher incomes they earn, the better lives they live.

What will virtual high schools do to America?  Revolutionize education.  While adapting to new technology is a difficult for anyone, as the idea of online learning becomes less radical parents and students will be more willing to join this cutting edge educational development.  Programs such as VHS and GradPoint are going to have positive impacts upon the face of education in the United States and giving students a wider range of coursework to study as well as offering college credit as well.  These programs are also going to help keep students in school by giving them an engaging means of studying and receiving their high school diploma an important step in the life of our young adults.