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Tom Vander Ark, chairman of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning , recently told The New York Times that the digital classroom is “one of the three or four biggest things happening in the world today.”

Online vs. Home School

Online public schools differ greatly from traditional home schooling, where parents design their own curriculum that is not sanctioned by states or school districts. Home schooling currently dwarfs enrollment in online schools by 6:1, but cyber education is expected to catch up in the next five to seven years.

Virtual public schools sponsored by states adhere to the same standards and cover the same material taught in brick and mortar schools. Most of the digital curriculum is provided by software firms such as K12 , while companies such as Archipelago Learning and Cambium Learning Group supply supplemental software to help advanced or remedial learners.

Momentum is certainly building for online education, but selling the innovation hasn’t been easy, admits K12 founder and CEO Ron Packard. The company first faced opposition from school administrators, who feared online schools would break up the educational system. There were also technical issues of delivering online courses via dial-up Internet connections.

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