Editorial: Power up laptops, but don't unplug schools

For growing numbers of Minnesota students, heading off to school doesn't mean boarding a bus, catching a ride or getting behind the wheel. Increasingly kids are simply hopping up out of bed and grabbing a laptop.

Online K-12 schools are expanding rapidly here, across the nation and around the world. As part of that trend, new cyber programs are recruiting Minnesota students. Using technology more effectively to enhance education represents progress -- with a caveat. Online learning should be part of the state's menu of educational options -- not a replacement for brick-and-mortar schools. And results matter. Before Minnesota school districts turn to online learning in even greater numbers, we should learn more about student achievement online.

Cyber schools are gaining in popularity for many reasons. Homebound children can keep up with their studies via the Internet. Students can study at their own pace on their own schedules. Teens can take accelerated courses or language classes that they can't fit into their schedules. Smaller rural schools can use distance learning to offer a broader array of courses.

And two of the new local programs, iQ Academy and Insight Schools of Minnesota, provide laptop computers -- an especially important feature for lower-income kids. iQ is affiliated with the Fergus Falls School District and will serve sixth- to 12th-graders. Insight has a partnership with the Brooklyn Center School District to provide instruction for high school students. Both use licensed teachers and must meet all state education standards.

The growth of computerized education has generated legal and legislative discussion around the country -- much of it focused on funding as virtual programs compete for public dollars. Concerns have also been raised about online teaching for younger children, the use of cyber courses in home schooling and the need for student-teacher interaction.

One of the most contentious debates occurred this year in neighboring Wisconsin, where online learning supporters persuaded legislators to keep 12 virtual schools open despite a court ruling against them and the opposition of the teachers union. Several years ago, Minnesota's teachers union filed a suit against Virtual Academy in Houston, Minn., but the case was dismissed. Other states have had similar controversies, but online programs continue to grow.

To address concerns about the lack of teacher-student contact, some of the schools wisely connect students online and encourage periodic face time with other students and teachers. Nevertheless, virtual education can't replicate the shared learning experience offered in classrooms. In the best traditional schools, students learn about community, citizenship, teamwork and other life lessons that are tough to pick up from a computer screen. Communal education can be a great equalizer and a democracy builder.

It's pretty clear that the $4-a-gallon-and-rising pain at the pump will drive even more of us to turn to home computers for work and school. And the explosion of college and other adult cyber learning confirms that online education is here to stay. But at the K-12 level, cyber schooling should be used to supplement traditional schools, not supplant them.