Are Online Schools More Effective for Children with Health and Educational Needs?

I examined a study by Thompson, L.A. et al., (2012) Online /schools and children with special health and education needs:  Comparison with performance in traditional schools.  The objective of this study was to describe the demographics of US online school participants and compare student achievement of online and traditional schools.  The study was conducted through an online parental survey and thus concluded the children in that demographic did not mirror state specific school populations.  Most of these children were white females with college educated parents.  These children were also high achievers and independent learners.  Findings also concluded that children with special health and educational needs as well black children reported significantly lower grades in online than in traditional schooling.

According to these writers, online learning has yet to become beneficial for students that are suffering health and educational disadvantages.  I believe that the availability of online programs is a benefit in itself.  The mere fact that there is an alternative for students that are at risk, whether it is health or social disadvantage, they still have options. Although they may not be able to fully take part in lesson going on at the school during a convalescent period, children suffering from health issues, can keep up with the lessons being covered at school.  Online lessons also give disadvantaged learners more time, under less pressure, to comprehend the lessons being taught.  I may even be a method of bringing undereducated adults into the online learning domain. Parents that, may be intimidated by their lack of education and ,thus, unwilling to interact with educators are more likely to attempt remote instruction through the internet.  These parents are naturally curious about technology but are afraid to show it publicly.

The study is also indicative of the type of households most successful online students come from.  Characteristically, successful online students come from better educated households, the same advantage is true for successful students enrolled in traditional brick & mortar institutions.  When children are brought up in a household that values education, it can be assumed that those children will hold educational values in higher esteem and they have a more sophisticated audience to engage with.

Thompson, L. A., Ferdig, R., & Black, E. (2012). Online Schools and Children With Special Health and Educational Needs: Comparison With Performance in Traditional Schools. Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 14(2), 15. doi:10.2196/jmir.1947