When the state Legislature placed a cap on enrollment in Wisconsin virtual schools early last year, there was concern that the number of students pursuing online education would quickly surpass the limit. The upward trend validated those concerns.
Surprisingly, the actual figures this year did not confirm those worries. But that doesn't make the cap any more acceptable.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last week that the number of students who used open enrollment to attend the state's virtual charter schools in the fall fell well short of the cap. The Legislature in 2008, in a compromise to protect online schools from an appellate court ruling that threatened their future, set a limit of 5,250 students attending virtual schools. This fall, only 3,635 students enrolled in the state's 12 online schools. That's about 3,000 fewer than the number that initially applied for the schools.
It's not clear why so many fewer students actually are attending virtual schools than applied. But the fact that there were nearly 6,700 applicants for open positions at the virtual schools serves as another reminder that the limit eventually will be reached, and should be either raised or eliminated.
That the cap is in place at all is further evidence of the stranglehold the state's teachers union has on education issues in a capital dominated by Democrats. It was the Wisconsin Education Association Council that led the court challenge of online education. The teachers union said it wanted evidence that virtual schools are as valid of an educational option as traditional bricks-and-mortar schools. With curriculum created and instructors approved by the local school boards that operate the virtual schools, there is no reason to believe the education provided is any less substantial that the one students receive in a classroom. It's just different, and that's what scares the teachers union.
Potentially, the more students that gravitate toward an online education, the fewer teaching positions will be available. It's a legitimate concern from a union membership standpoint, but not from an educational one.
The only good reason for a cap on virtual school students is to restrict the growth of online education in Wisconsin. That is why the cap must either be raised to a point that all families that want their children in virtual schools can be accommodated, or it must be stricken altogether.
The Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families said as much in a half-page newspaper ad it published in the Wisconsin State Journal earlier this month. The ad coincided with President Obama's visit to Madison to promote his education agenda.
Online public charter schools are a key element of the president's agenda for revitalizing the nation's education system. Wisconsin lawmakers ought to join the administration's efforts in promoting, rather than artificially and unnecessarily stunting, the growth of online education.
Surprisingly, the actual figures this year did not confirm those worries. But that doesn't make the cap any more acceptable.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last week that the number of students who used open enrollment to attend the state's virtual charter schools in the fall fell well short of the cap. The Legislature in 2008, in a compromise to protect online schools from an appellate court ruling that threatened their future, set a limit of 5,250 students attending virtual schools. This fall, only 3,635 students enrolled in the state's 12 online schools. That's about 3,000 fewer than the number that initially applied for the schools.
It's not clear why so many fewer students actually are attending virtual schools than applied. But the fact that there were nearly 6,700 applicants for open positions at the virtual schools serves as another reminder that the limit eventually will be reached, and should be either raised or eliminated.
That the cap is in place at all is further evidence of the stranglehold the state's teachers union has on education issues in a capital dominated by Democrats. It was the Wisconsin Education Association Council that led the court challenge of online education. The teachers union said it wanted evidence that virtual schools are as valid of an educational option as traditional bricks-and-mortar schools. With curriculum created and instructors approved by the local school boards that operate the virtual schools, there is no reason to believe the education provided is any less substantial that the one students receive in a classroom. It's just different, and that's what scares the teachers union.
Potentially, the more students that gravitate toward an online education, the fewer teaching positions will be available. It's a legitimate concern from a union membership standpoint, but not from an educational one.
The only good reason for a cap on virtual school students is to restrict the growth of online education in Wisconsin. That is why the cap must either be raised to a point that all families that want their children in virtual schools can be accommodated, or it must be stricken altogether.
The Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families said as much in a half-page newspaper ad it published in the Wisconsin State Journal earlier this month. The ad coincided with President Obama's visit to Madison to promote his education agenda.
Online public charter schools are a key element of the president's agenda for revitalizing the nation's education system. Wisconsin lawmakers ought to join the administration's efforts in promoting, rather than artificially and unnecessarily stunting, the growth of online education.
