Online Classes Expand Homeschooling Options

Less need then ever to crowd into a holding pen

Statewide and locally, school districts report the number of home-schooled students have remained stable. In the Harbor Creek School District, for example, Jackson's three children are among the district's 10 home-schooled students.

That's not a lot of students, but it also does not reflect the total number of children being taught at home these days.

Those enrolled in cyber charter schools are counted differently. In Harbor Creek, for example, there are 32 children enrolled in cyber charter schools.

The difference between home schooling and cyber schooling comes down to who decides what students learn and how they go about learning it. A parent in a traditional home-school setting assembles the lessons and teaches their children on their own. Those children are periodically evaluated by their home school district. A student enrolled in a online charter school must study the curriculum chosen by the cyber school and work with teachers online. Progress is monitored by the charter school.