One of the big things is ed news lately is the launch of a company called K12, an on-line virtual school provider that is now offering state-approved curriculums in 17 states. The company represents a serious foray into the virtual education business, perhaps the most significant--and controversial--to date.

It is controversial for two reasons. First, there isn't much data out there that proves one way or another if virtual, teacher-free, classroom-free schooling can actually teach students. Second, K12 was launched by one of the chief architects of the conservative education movement, Bill Bennett, who was Secretary of Education under President Ronald Reagan. He has been attributed by different sources with statements that suggest that he would like to stop public schools from receiving any new funding or supports so that they will fail. Why would he want public schools to fail? So that they will be replaced by vouchers, charter schools, religious schools, and other forms of private education.

If you visit their homepage, you'll see why K12 is getting serious looks from the education community. It is well-done, attention grabbing, and confidence inspiring. The only thing that really matters in the end, though, is will it help students learn at a better rate than the traditional school counterpart? If so, there's no reason for reformers and politicians to want to kill it altogether, though tweaking to improve student achievement is always a worthwhile goal. If it does not improve achievement, then it doesn't deserve any more support than a failing public school, charter school, or any other such institution.

I dug up this video (below) from a student who attends one such virtual school and who says it is working. My gut instinct tells me that he is one of those exceptional students who will succeed under any circumstances, so a virtual school may be a great opportunity for him to excel. But I would need to see more qualitative and quantitative data from low-achieving and mid-level students on how virtual schools work for them before forming a broader opinion. My gut instinct tells me that success in a virtual school is highly dependent on the amount of self-motivation that the student has, and the amount of time the parents have to ensure that their kids are keeping up with all the work. And that is not a recipe for universal success--especially in the areas where schools and students need the greatest improvement.