Online Alternative Schools

will it work for "at risk" students?

http://www.enidnews.com/news/state/proposal-would-allow-online-alternative-schools/article_d8ebb805-52ca-5ab9-9920-d7dc99647a2d.html

 

This is interesting:

"In one recent study by researchers at New York University and the RAND Corp., all students across all subjects and grade spans in Ohio learned less in online school than their peers in traditional public and charter schools, as measured by standardized tests. That included both high-achieving students and low-achieving ones, for whom the stakes are high."

 

I know this isn't specifically about homeschooling, but I meet parents often who have children in online high schools and call it homeschooling. (homeschooling has a legal definition that, in most states, is not met by using an online public school program) but this is something I know a little about.
I've said it here before, but distance learning *is* homeschooling for adults. The distinction is negligible. So, if you're a DL adult learner, you have a good understanding of what it would be to implement the same kind of learning structure on someone a little bit earlier in their educational journey.
It wouldn't surprise any of us to learn that only highly motivated people are capable of independently learning. "At-risk teens" don't have the right ingredients and family resources that could make homeschooling a success - distance learning or otherwise. Farming out the education and supervision of an uninterested teen could never replace a caring parent or teacher's physical presence.