What is TLO in K-12 Settings?

Our readings for this lesson will introduce you to the basics of the K-12 online learning landscape. The authors point out that there are several types of online K-12 learning programs such as statewide, online learning consortia, college or university based programs, and private providers. There are two specific types of online K-12 learning programs, cyber charters and  local school-based programs.

Cyber Charters

Cyber charters are free public schools formed under the charter school legislation in place in some states. Pennsylvania has a large number of cyber charters and the video on  cyber charters and their financial implications for our traditional public school system provides some additional information about cyber charters, particularly in PA. These schools are relatively large. Recent innovations that seem to be mostly focused on profit, though that is not the case for all cyber charters. While it is true that there are often very good job opportunities in cyber charters, they tend to rely primarily on lower paid tutors rather than fully certified teachers.

Read this Analysis of Pennsylvania's Cyber Charter Schools for a brief on the issues of cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania.

Local School Program

The second type of online K-12 program is the local school program. This program has been on the rise in PA recently as a result of the realization that local districts are losing funds to the cyber charter movement. Initially these schools were created to serve populations who didn’t have access to education otherwise, such as students who are Olympic athletes or who can’t function in a traditional school because of bullying or behavior issues. However, school-based online learning also helps small districts to connect with unique offerings that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to offer. For example, there might be four students who want to take Latin in each of five schools, but the schools they attend don’t offer Latin and are rural and very spread out geographically. This is an excellent opportunity for online learning to solve this problem by connecting these small groups of students through an online course.