In the 21st Century, learning need not be limited to classes held in a bricks and mortar building. Today, more than a million students take online courses through their school divisions — a 47 percent increase since 2006. Of those, 175,000 are full-time students in full-time online schools. This brochure answers some basic questions about online learning for parents and educators, including what kind of students use virtual schools, teacher licensure, the parental role, testing, and other questions — including information about 13 approved online providers in Virginia. As education progresses in the new century, students increasingly will be “students without borders,” hindered by school and school division boundaries.
