Virtual Charter Schools and Home Schooling By Carol Klein

Definition of Terms

Home schooling: student learning that takes place primarily in the home under the supervision of a responsible adult, most often the parent, where 75% or more of what the family considers to be schooling occurs. Activities may be planned or not, but learning involves completion of grades kindergarten (K)–12 work.

Public charter school: a school that is publicly funded, and governed typically by a group or organization under a contract or charter with the state, which then exempts it from selected state or local rules and regula-tions. It is accountable for results (in management and curriculum) and must be open to all students. Failure to comply with contract terms can result in school closure.

Virtual charter public school: a school that provides non-classroom-based instruction in which at least 80% of teaching and student interaction occurs via the Internet. Learning usually occurs through independent study in the home and participation is tuition free and open to all students.

California Virtual Academies (CAVA): a statewide network of six virtual charter public schools that delivers K12 Incorporated cur-riculum to home schooling families via the Internet at no fiscal cost to students. Equipment and software, ISP (Internet Service Provider) service, curriculum resources, and instructional and technical support are provided.

K12 Incorporated (K12): a for-profit educational company that was established in 1999 under the leadership of Dr. William Bennett. It provides classical, comprehensive, character-based curriculum over the Internet to independent home schoolers, virtual private schools, virtual charter schools, and others, along with a variety of school man-agement services.