irtual education in Idaho Kicks Chicago's butt.

Online schools are great for students with different learning styles and abilities, says schools chief Tom Luna. great opportunities for students with different learning styles and abilities by providing cost-effective, targeted programs for tutoring, make Idaho students and educators say virtual learning has revolutionized their lives.

"It opened my mind to the world," said Delanie Ross, 16, of Emmett. "That world is so much bigger than it would have been in Emmett. It helped me as a person." Ross said she was struggling with school and didn't have aspirations beyond becoming a fast-food employee or a store cashier until she became a full-time student at Inspire Connections Academy, one of about a half dozen virtual schools in Idaho. Now she wants a medical career.

"I like how the school helps me in that - math's not a strong point," she said. Virtual school also has introduced her to friends, other virtual students, across the United States, and gives her the flexibility to travel and dedicate more or less time to assignments depending on the difficulty, she said. Ross was one of several students, state officials and experts who spoke at a forum on virtual education sponsored by the Idaho Charter School Network at Boise State University last week.

Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states in virtual learning for K-12 students and was rated No. 3 in the nation for policy and practice by e.Republic's Center for Digital Education. About 5 percent of all K-12 students, around 14,000, are taking classes online full or part time. However, it is not without challenges, as educators and lawmakers figure out how to manage funding and oversight, and tackle concerns from those who have yet to grasp the ever-evolving virtual world.
Superintendent of education Tom Luna said the current education model follows Henry Ford's mass production methods. But online learning offers great opportunities for students with different learning styles and abilities by providing cost-effective, targeted programs for tutoring, make-up classes, and concurrent and advanced credit. "We have to move away from the business model we've adopted," Luna said. "One thing to remember is it will only be hard on the adults."

Luna and speaker John Watson, founder of Evergreen Consulting Associates, which advises on virtual/online education policy, said virtual education is vital in bolstering economic development, engaging students in education and preparing them for a changing jobscape.
Watson said about one in four high school students don't graduate, and that wasn't a problem decades ago when high-paying manufacturing jobs were plentiful. But with those jobs moving to other countries and technical and informational skills more in demand, higher learning is even more important, he said. Virtual learning also allows small and rural districts to access classes and educators they couldn't afford, Watson said. Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, said he agrees online learning is critical, but legislators have been wary of virtual systems. Educators, parents and students will have to prove the system works and show how much students are really learning to expand support, he said. "We're living in a different world than we were 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago," he said. "It's not for everyone. But it is for a significant population."

What can't chicago learn a lesson or two from this? Is it so hard to find help, or give advice to students and teachers in need. This is a good augmentation to the overcrowded, understaffed schools. This is an outlet for the bright or promising pupil to better themselves when their environment would not sustain such an endeavor.