By STEPHANIE SIMON, Wall Street Journal
The growing popularity of online public schools lets states and local school districts effectively outsource some teaching functions—to parents. Students enrolled in an online school full-time are required to work closely with a “learning coach,” usually mom or dad, to ensure that they are staying on track in their studies. “It’s not about just putting them in front of a computer and saying, ‘Here, get this work done,'” says Allison Brown, who has three young children attending Georgia Cyber Academy, a statewide online charter school run by the private firm K12 Inc. Online teachers are required to check in with each student—and each learning coach—regularly, often every month or two. They are available to answer questions by phone or email. They also try to encourage interaction by hosting optional field trips to real-world museums and by creating online social activities.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190704577024253054364404.html
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