Online Gifted Education

General Online K–12 Learning

Distance learning in the form of correspondence courses appeared as an educational option more than a century ago. Computer-based instruction emerged in the 1960s. With the increase in the use of personal computers in recent years, and the exponential growth of the Internet, online education offerings have grown significantly in popularity. In recent years, online education went through several stages and has taken the form of virtual schools. Recent surveys show that K–12 online learning is a rapidly growing phenomenon. According to a report by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, more than 500,000 K–12 students are currently enrolled in online classes in all 50 U.S. states. Enrollments in K–12 online courses showed steady increase over the past 5 years. As of November 2005, the North American Council for Online Learning reported that its database contains 157 unique K–12 online learning programs in 42 states (including 32 virtual charter schools, 3 online homeschool programs, and 53 public noncharter virtual schools that offer programs). Utah Electronic High School alone, the nation's largest online learning program, serves more than 35,000 students. Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is the second largest online learning program and serves around 33,000 students.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, during the 2002–2003 school year, 36 percent of U.S. school districts (5,500 out of 15,040) had students enrolled in distance-education programs, [Page 654]and 38 percent of public high schools (approximately 6,000) offered distance-education courses. Postsecondary institutions build on a long history of distance education and are the major providers of K–12 online learning. About 48 percent of public school districts reported an online education enrollment through a postsecondary institution in 2002–2003. According to J. Carl Setzer and Laurie Lewis, at least seven independent-study programs at universities have developed an online high school curriculum. Other postsecondary online K–12 learning programs originated in gifted education, dual enrollment, or early college credit.

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