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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 9, 2013 - 12:03pm.
The NEPC conclusion is too simplistic. Is learning from a computer flawed or is the student flawed? Students who lack the ability and initiative to learn independently should probably not be learning from a computer, yet they are allowed to anyway. That sounds like the real problem. Students need to be screened as to whether or not they are qualified to learn independently, with those who don’t qualify sent to a traditional school. The last paragraph in that section of the article seems to confirm this issue. “Of particular concern to critics is the company's emphasis on serving high-risk students who don't have the motivated homeschool parents and support structures needed to make the most of the model. Why would K12 Inc. focus on this population? "It was an explicit business strategy to go after kids who would demand the least from their educational experience, which ultimately yields increased profits for K12 Inc.," explains Huerta.” When you put mediocre, unmotivated students in front of a computer and then blame the computer for their poor results, you have a flawed interpretation of the situation. What this really tells us is that learning should be customized for students and not a one-size-fits-all environment. Let the independent achievers with initiative learn from a computer, if that’s their choice, but put the rest of the students in a traditional classroom.
NEPC Study
The NEPC conclusion is too simplistic. Is learning from a computer flawed or is the student flawed? Students who lack the ability and initiative to learn independently should probably not be learning from a computer, yet they are allowed to anyway. That sounds like the real problem. Students need to be screened as to whether or not they are qualified to learn independently, with those who don’t qualify sent to a traditional school. The last paragraph in that section of the article seems to confirm this issue. “Of particular concern to critics is the company's emphasis on serving high-risk students who don't have the motivated homeschool parents and support structures needed to make the most of the model. Why would K12 Inc. focus on this population? "It was an explicit business strategy to go after kids who would demand the least from their educational experience, which ultimately yields increased profits for K12 Inc.," explains Huerta.” When you put mediocre, unmotivated students in front of a computer and then blame the computer for their poor results, you have a flawed interpretation of the situation. What this really tells us is that learning should be customized for students and not a one-size-fits-all environment. Let the independent achievers with initiative learn from a computer, if that’s their choice, but put the rest of the students in a traditional classroom.