Report on proposed online, or virtual, school
courses cites lack of regulation
Cyberschools, the fastest-growing alternative to K-12 public education, are almost totally unregulated and in immediate need of oversight, according to research from the University of Colorado.
More than 30 percent of the nation's 16 million high school students have taken at least one online class -- Memphis City Schools now requires it for graduation.
But report authors Gene Glass and Kevin Welner say cash-strapped school districts use online education -- including full-time virtual schools with little face-to-face contact with teachers -- as a lower-cost alternative to traditional public schools.
They say five companies dominate the online curriculum business, including Virginia-
