I came across another online high school today with worthless accreditation. Please, please make sure that the school you choose has accreditation from one of the regional accreditors, Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation, or the Distance Education and Training Council.

Everything else is bogus. Unaccredited programs, and that’s what these schools are, waste your time and money. One way to tell if it is legitimate is the amount of time necessary to complete the program. At the very least, it should be talking about the number of months (as in 18 or more, but I would be willing to give a little leeway to that timeframe for gifted and/or hardworking students) and not days.

If you are an accreditor and believe you offer legitimate accreditation, feel free to send me an email (info @ bestonlinehighschools.com) and I am happy to take a look at what you offer.

Do you see off to the left where it says “Get Important Online High School Updates?” That is where you can submit your email address to get information on online high schools. Who is that for? It is for both:

1. Students interested in online high schools;

and

2. Online high schools interested in what other schools are up to and how they can increase their exposure to online high school students.

It is a weekly newsletter and it is the only such newsletter of which we are aware.

Stanford University offered a complete online high school for gifted students for the first time this past school year. Being Stanford, it has quickly become the most prestigious of the online high schools. The Lost Angeles Times has an article today on how that year went and it includes interviews with some of the students. Unlike what I might have thought, the students come from all over the world.

It is a great program. It’s also a pricey program at $12,000 a year. By the way, they require proof that your child is gifted and this has to be more than the fact you think your child is smart.

As I mentioned upstream, I will be speaking this weekend at Homefires‘ Homeschool Your Teen Seminar. In addition to myself, there will be be an incredible assortment of speakers on most everything related to homeschooling your teen. It is well worth the time and effort. I do believe that they are still accepting registrations (although it is close to being full, so you had better do it today).

See: Homeschool Your Teen

In Complete Guide to Online High Schools, American Academy for Liberal Education is listed as a valid accreditor. In action by the Department of Education, AALE is no longer allowed to accredit new schools. What this means for the book is that the second edition, due in 2008, will delete reference to them.

And, of course, given the weirdness of politics, should this change, I will let you all know. I can say that I am surprised. While a very small accreditor, I have always had the impression that they were doing a good job.

Dr. John Bear has been described as the grandfather of distance learning. While there are pretenders to the throne, he is the real deal. His Bears’ Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning is the seminal work in the field. If you are in distance learning and you have not heard of him, you are really not in distance learning.

Dr. Bear graciously agreed to write a review of my latest book, Complete Guide to Online High Schools. It is a five-starred review over on About.com’s Adult Education site. I would consider it an honor to get three stars from him. To get five stars is humbling.

Being the contrary person that I am, my latest article over at EzineArticles.com, details why you should not choose an online high school. They are most decidedly not for everyone, but can be a great option for some.

See: Why You Shouldn’t Choose an Online High School