Now for a look at private distance learning options. The first thing to understand is that they are not free. Private schools don’t receive government money or the inherent government strings that come with government funding. Therefore, you will need to pay for the services of private distant learning but you also receive the inherent freedom to choose the who, what, when and where of your child’s education, especially important during the high school years.

There are many wonderful private options available to homeschoolers – so many that it can leave you feeling kind of like a kid in a candy shop. However, because there are so many options, it can be a bit overwhelming to wade through all the available choices. The good news is that for the parent considering the distance learning option, there is sure to be an option that fits you and your family.

Distance learning schools can be referred to as correspondence schools, umbrella schools, cyber schools and probably others. There are also schools catering to particular faiths, “gifted” children or “learning disabled” children. There are even colleges offering high school courses and schools that allow dual credits, meaning that the student gets both a high school and college credit. Additionally, there are schools, that offer individual courses for credit. Some schools provide K-12 instruction, while others only work at the high school level.

Keeping in mind that the distinctions between different distance learning schools and options are not always black & white, let’s look at three broad option categories. Read the rest of this entry »