A December 28, 2000 story in The Wall Street Journal states that former Reagan Administration Education Secretary, William Bennett, is set to provide a private school to students from kindergarten to 12th grade via the internet.
The proposed on-line private school, named K12, will have a curriculum based on the traditional foundations of education. The article stated that the K12 curriculum will consist of a strong emphasis on "phonics, back-to-basics math and civic lessons." K12 could have students enrolled in kindergarten as early as August, 2001 and projects an enrollment of 100,000 students by 2005.
Former Secretary Bennett, who will serve as chairman of the for-profit school, indicated that the cyber school's tuition will be less than one third of the current national public school average per pupil expenditure of $6500. He indicated that student scholarships will also be made available.
Growing numbers of people view ventures such as K12 as the future of alternative schooling. Merrill Lynch projects that the burgeoning electronic educational market for kindergarten to grade 12 students will expand from $1.3 billion in 1999 to $6.9 billion in 2003. A Congressional commission recently called for more quality education to be made available on-line as well as elimination of certain state regulations, such as attendance rules and in-class schedules.
On the other hand,
some see it as a risky investment. The article quoted Sandra Feldman,
current president of the American Federation of Teachers -- the nation’s
second largest teachers’ union, as stating that there are "serious questions
whether
K12 will offer the proper in-person content and technical
support."
Source: The Wall Street Journal
December 28, 2000