I am in the final stages of creating the database that will be used for the second edition of our online high schools book. If you are an online school, high school or not, please send us an email for possible inclusion in this book or other books to be published in 2012.
Which is the best online high school?
September 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This must be the most common question that I receive. Unfortunately, it is also the question that is the most difficult to answer. Can I give you an answer? Sure, but first you need to tell me:
- In which state do you live?
- Do you prefer working in groups or alone?
- Are you able to pay to attend?
- Are you comfortable with technology?
- Do you prefer to do more of your work online or off-line?
- Is your preference for 100% online or is some face-to-face acceptable?
- How much interaction do you want with other students?
- How much interaction do you want with teachers?
- Will you need additional support in order to be successful?
- How available are your parents to support your efforts?
And on. And on. And on and on. You get the point.
Importantly, even if I had the answers to all of those questions, I still could not tell you the name of the best online high school. What I might be able to do is tell you the name of the best online high school for you.
And that should be more than enough. Because, of course, unless you are doing a study of online high schools, you really only need to know which is the best option for you.
All of that being said, I am going to showcase a few schools this week to give you an idea of what is available out there.
The Best Online High Schools Promise
July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
As we hit the middle of the summer, we get increasing interest from online schools to be listed on this website. You may not be aware, but there are many online schools that are not acceptable to employers or to colleges. Their goal is to make money, so they make outlandish claims about earning a high school diploma in one month or in having a test that you can use to earn a diploma.
Here at Best Online High Schools, it is our goal to make sure that, if you get listed on this website, you have real value for our potential students. One way we use to determine that value is how the potential school is recognized. Typically, we look for one of three possible recognizers:
- Recognized by a regional or national accreditor. This is a specific group of organizations most of which can be found here.*
- Recognized by a state department of education.
- Recognized by a public school district or county office of education.
While there are other possibilities, that number is small. If you are not sure, ask us. We wish that it was as simple as saying that a school needs to be accredited, but, just as there are unrecognized schools, so, too, are there unrecognized accreditors.
So this week alone, we turned down three schools for listing here on this website. Sometimes it takes some digging to determine the authenticity of a school, but we think it is worth it.
While we can’t guarantee that a poor choice won’t slip through, we can promise that we will do our level best to make sure that does not happen.
*This is not a complete list. Look for a new post soon specifically providing a list of accreditors.
Does my state have online high schools?
February 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Thanks for asking! Yes, almost all states do. As it happens, we own all 50 of the state online high schools sites. On those sites, we provide regular information about online high schools on a state level.
So how are they different from this site? Good question. Those are primarily news sources for what is happening with online high schools within that state.
Would you like to see those sites?
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Memphis requires online course to graduate
December 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Starting with this year’s freshmen, every city school student must take one online course to graduate, a nod to the ubiquity of the Internet, of course, but also its power to shape personal outcomes.
Take 17-year-old DeMarcus Oliver at Whitehaven High School. If not for e-learning, he’d be registering for his senior year next year. [Read more...]
Earn a high school diploma online, Part 2
May 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
As we continue with this series, you are encouraged to post a response on the blog and/or to ask questions in the forum.
Advice #2: Choose an online high school that is accredited and/or approved. This can look a little different from colleges where you absolutely want the school to have regional accreditation.
1. Regional Accreditation that can be verified through a listing at CHEA.
2. National Accreditation that can be verified through a listing at Distance Education & Training Council.
3. Recognition by a state department of education.
4. Recognition by a public school district.
We have now reached the problematic schools. There are certain schools that are legitimate endeavors, but, for whatever reason, do not possess any one of the four types of recognition above. If you come across such a school, I encourage you to ask about it in the forum. That way others can benefit by your experience.