Bridget Bolder sent her daughter, Mia, to kindergarten at a neighborhood public school. After all, it seemed the 鈥渘ormal, regular thing to do.鈥�

But Bolder started to worry that some of her daughter鈥檚 classmates were exposing her to inappropriate topics. Early in the school year, Mia had to tell a teacher about a boy groping some of the other girls.

鈥淚鈥檓 like, she鈥檚 a baby,鈥� Bolder said. 鈥淏ring her home a little while longer before I throw her to the wolves.鈥�

Brian Wilson and his wife homeschooled three of their children last year. They struggled to juggle home life, both parents鈥� jobs and teaching the kids.

The family briefly switched to in-person school, but Wilson said it only validated the parents鈥� theory that the individual attention the kids got at home had been working.

鈥淭hey seemed like head and shoulders above all the other kids when it comes to learning,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y son, Aaron 鈥� he鈥檚 the youngest 鈥� he was actually helping kids in his class.鈥�

Both families have turned to the new Brookside Virtual Academy so they could keep their kids at home and still rely on professional teachers to lead their schooling.

The academy is attached to Brookside Charter School and bills itself as Kansas City鈥檚 only virtual program where teaching happens on live, interactive video calls.

Online school isn鈥檛 widely popular. It鈥檚 been blamed for some of the learning loss that set kids back during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kansas City Public Schools closed its virtual academy for kindergarten through fifth grade this year because of shrinking enrollment, district spokesperson Shain Bergan said in an email.

But for a girl with severe social anxiety? A boy with leukemia? A young athlete with a rigorous training and travel schedule?

Leslie Correa, who helped design the KCPS program, said certain students and families need the option. So she found a home for the program at Brookside, where she鈥檚 now the virtual academy principal.

鈥淭he students that virtual works for, it works really well for,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e cannot close the door to them for having a great education.鈥�

Who succeeds in virtual education?

For some students, the computer screen provides a layer of distance that makes them braver, Correa said. Learning from home can also reduce distracting for some kids with autism.

For example, loud or persistent background noise, visually busy environments or other students bumping into them could overwhelm some children.

Other students might need virtual school for logistical reasons.

That could include students who are barred from in-person school for disciplinary issues, traveling athletes, kids going through intensive medical treatment like dialysis or chemotherapy, or parents who struggle with transportation.

Some families identify as homeschoolers but want professional help teaching reading and math, Correa said. Since virtual school is more concise, it leaves more flexibility in the day.

Parents鈥� fears can also push them toward keeping kids at home.

鈥淎nytime that there has been a violent occurrence in one of our schools in Kansas City, I get a big uptick in enrollment,鈥� Correa said. 鈥淭hey feel scared and they鈥檙e looking for an alternative.鈥�

When virtual learning doesn鈥檛 work

To figure out if it鈥檚 a good fit, Correa starts by asking parents why they鈥檙e interested in virtual school.

鈥淚f it鈥檚, you know, 鈥業 don鈥檛 have day care and I need my 12-year-old to be home to watch my kid,鈥� it鈥檚 kind of an alarm,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not the one to judge what their decision is, but I am the one to help arm them with information.鈥�

The virtual academy serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Because Kansas City-area charter schools can only operate within the boundaries of KCPS, its students have to be from that area.

The virtual academy doesn鈥檛 turn students away based on their reason to enroll, Correa said, but it monitors their progress. If a student isn鈥檛 thriving, she meets with a parent to make a plan, like tutoring or switching the child to in-person school.

Schools can deny virtual education if they document that it鈥檚 not in the student鈥檚 best interest.

鈥淢y goal before getting to that point is always to have the parent make that decision for themselves through very hard conversation,鈥� Correa said. 鈥淏ut it does happen.鈥�

Problems can arise when the virtual school doesn鈥檛 think it can fulfill an individualized education program, or IEP, often used to support students with disabilities.

鈥淭he parent has the option to return to in-person learning or waive the IEP, and then their student does not get that support,鈥� Correa said. 鈥淭hey almost never waive the IEP.鈥�

Students can also get removed from virtual school, and referred for truancy, if they stop signing in or engaging at all for too many days.

Correa said she鈥檚 also attentive to offering ways for virtual students to get more comfortable with in-person interaction.

Virtual school students can attend optional in-person events and participate in Brookside clubs and sports.

鈥淚f they want to kind of test the water, the opportunity is there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f a student is saying to me, 鈥業 am ready to go in a building,鈥� then OK. But then also, if a student is saying to me, 鈥業 need out of the building,鈥� OK, I鈥檓 here. I just don鈥檛 want to disrupt their education.鈥�

How virtual learning works 

Right before the school year started, Brookside Charter School鈥檚 STEAM lab was set up for virtual academy orientation.

Teachers and school leaders passed out laptops, hot spots for internet access and school supplies.

The supply bags include books, basics like pencils and glue, whiteboards and dry erase markers (extra for younger kids, who tend to leave the caps off), and individually packaged science kits for lessons on the solar system, geology or density.

But first, families settled in for a presentation to learn the basics.

Brookside Virtual Academy starts at 9 a.m. with a lesson on leadership.

Most days, students then launch into reading class, followed by math. Wednesdays are for science.

Students spend about two and a half hours in live virtual lessons each day, and another 90 minutes online working through a task list that includes social studies and science.

Live classes use video calls and technology that lets teachers monitor what students are looking at and control their screens.

Parents aren鈥檛 responsible for teaching their kids, but they鈥檙e expected to keep in touch and generally make sure the students are online and on task.

Connecting with families

For some parents, being extra involved in part of the draw.

Wilson, the parent of three kids in the program, said he appreciates that it cuts the school day down to essentials, allowing parents to be more strategic about where they put time into their kids鈥� education.

Bolder, the parent of a first grader, said she鈥檚 looking forward to more easily monitoring what her daughter is learning so she can help supplement that.

Virtual education makes it easier to connect with families, said Tina Duvall, a reading and math interventionist for kindergarten through fourth grade.

鈥淚 get to be in their home with them. It takes away a whole lot of anxiety for kids,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 thought in my years past teaching that I knew 鈥� really, really knew 鈥� my students鈥� families, but not like this.鈥�

Duvall will be working with breakout groups of students, grouped by grade or ability level.

With about 100 students as of Aug. 20, two or three grades are combined under each of four virtual academy teachers. But staggered schedules and help from interventionists like Duvall will allow each grade to learn separately.

The biggest challenge, Duvall said, is not being able to sit by a student to point things out or hand them what they need.

鈥淵ou just want to reach through the screen and help,鈥� she said.

Bolder and Wilson said they have their kids in in-person activities so they can socialize. But they鈥檙e not sure if they鈥檒l ever go to in-person school.

鈥淭here shouldn鈥檛 be such a thing as a bad school,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淏ut because there is, until we鈥檙e able to put our kids in a good school 鈥� then we feel like we鈥檙e more suited to teach our kids at home.鈥�

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

For any district, it鈥檚 difficult keeping students engaged all school year. However, when those students are spread out in 48 schools across an area the size of West Virginia, the challenge of ensuring continuity of learning feels even more overwhelming.

During the 2021-22 school year, half of the students in my district, Alaska鈥檚 Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District were chronically absent, requiring educators to jump into action so students could remain connected and on track to a successful future. By thinking creatively and merging policy changes with innovative ed tech solutions, educators can confidently help every student succeed, no matter where and how they learn.

First, we realized we had to stop the blame game and keep an open mind. The reasons behind attendance problems are as diverse as the students the district serves, and because of its location, Mat-Su has its own, unique issues. For instance, Alaska鈥檚 vast geography means that student athletes may be away at games three or four days out of the school week, and families often travel, hunt or camp for a week or two at a time. In addition, transportation constraints are an ongoing problem, as are inclement conditions ranging from snowstorms to earthquakes.

Until the pandemic, the district operated with the same attendance policy that had been on the books since the 1990s: Students with 10 unexcused absences a semester were immediately unenrolled. This essentially closed the doors on the young people who needed support the most 鈥� those with learning difficulties, instability at home and social, emotional and mental health concerns.

Today, online learning platforms offer the district a holistic view of each student’s grades, behavior and attendance, allowing school staff to easily identify red flags in attendance and use the data to prompt discussions with families and caregivers. Building these relationships has allowed the district to analyze the root causes of absenteeism and intervene with personalized solutions attuned to each student’s needs. 

Whether connecting families to wraparound resources that address mental health, transportation or trauma-related issues or working with staff and teachers to create a hybrid environment that allows students to learn both virtually and in person, the district strives to prevent a few absences from evolving into a chronic problem. We also no longer unenroll a student after 10 absences, but instead bring the family and stakeholders together to coordinate care in the event of a crisis.

Second, in its mission to ensure no student falls through the cracks, the district has taken a collaborative approach, developed by teachers, support staff and administrators, to clearly define learning standards and construct relationship-centered educational environments. This brings everyone together so we’re all on the same page.

Since the pandemic, the district has shifted away from the Carnegie Unit, which conflates time and learning, toward a more personalized, adaptive and mastery-based, standards-based system. While credits and grades are still identifiers of student progress, they鈥檙e no longer the primary criteria for evaluation. Educators have established standards in all subjects to ensure students’ mastery of knowledge and skills before they can progress to the next lesson. Through a combination of one-on-one instruction and virtual learning, teachers can help students revisit and hit learning targets they may have missed. As technology evolves, educators are working in sync to provide students with the academic support they need.

In addition, every high school student is enrolled in the district鈥檚 , which helps support their Credit, Career, College and Community Goals. Students are assigned an adult mentor who works with their teachers, counselors and families to help foster their success and growth. They also participate in weekly goal-setting and spend class each week working on reading, writing and mathematical skills. Because connectedness is a driver of regular school attendance, these relationships have been critical in engaging students in their schools.

Third, the district is integrating to align education with how and where a student learns best and to make sure that those learning from home because of transportation issues, illness or injury will receive the same enriching experiences as their peers in the classroom. 

All 19,000 students in pre-K through 12th grade receive Chromebooks loaded with educational tools that build on what they鈥檙e learning during the school day. In addition, the district has helped close learning gaps through guided online tutorials and the program, which assists with credit recovery for juniors and seniors. Taking full advantage of technology has been especially beneficial for rural schools that often have a smaller staff, fewer courses and higher absenteeism than their suburban and urban counterparts closer to the Anchorage metropolitan area.

Watching chronic absenteeism rates soar across the U.S. is incredibly disheartening for educators who want nothing more than to see students thrive. Until there鈥檚 a miracle solution that fixes every transportation issue, controls the weather and cures all illnesses, students will always be absent. It鈥檚 up to districts to move from penalizing students for missing school for reasons beyond their control to mitigating the impact of chronic absenteeism on their academic success. 

More and more colleges are becoming 鈥�,鈥� taking their physical campuses into a virtual online world, often called the 鈥渕etaverse.鈥� One initiative has working with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and virtual reality company VictoryXR to create 3D online replicas 鈥� sometimes called 鈥溾�� 鈥� of their campuses that are updated live as people and items move through the real-world spaces.

Some classes are . And VictoryXR says that by 2023, it plans to , which allow for a group setting with live instructors and real-time class interactions.

One metaversity builder, New Mexico State University, says it wants to offer degrees in which students can take all their classes in virtual reality, .

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There are many , such as 3D visual learning, more realistic interactivity and easier access for faraway students. But there are also potential problems. My recent has focused on aspects of the metaverse and risks such as . I see five challenges:

1. Significant costs and time

The metaverse . For instance, building a cadaver laboratory costs and maintenance. A virtual cadaver lab has made scientific .

However, licenses for virtual reality content, construction of digital twin campuses, virtual reality headsets and other investment expenses do .

A metaverse course license can cost universities . VictoryXR also charges a per student to access its metaverse.

Additional costs are incurred for virtual reality headsets. While Meta is providing a for metaversities launched by Meta and VictoryXR, that鈥檚 only a few of what may be needed. The low-end 128GB version of the Meta Quest 2 . Managing and maintaining a large number of headsets, , involves additional operational costs and time.

Colleges also need to spend significant time and resources to . Even more time will be required to deliver metaverse courses, many of which will need .

Most educators don鈥檛 have the , which can involve merging videos, still images and audio with text and interactivity elements into an .

2. Data privacy, security and safety concerns

Business models of companies developing metaverse technologies . For instance, people who want to use Meta鈥檚 Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets must have Facebook accounts.

The headsets can collect highly personal and sensitive data . Meta has that advertisers might have to it.

Meta is also working on a high-end virtual reality headset called , with more advanced capabilities. Sensors in the device will allow a virtual avatar to maintain eye contact and make facial expressions that mirror the user鈥檚 eye movements and face. That data information and target them with personalized advertising.

Professors and students may not freely participate in class discussions if they know that all their moves, their speech and even their facial expressions are .

The virtual environment and its equipment can also collect a wide range of user data, such as , and even signals of emotions.

Cyberattacks in the metaverse could even cause physical harm. Metaverse interfaces , so they effectively trick the user鈥檚 brain into believing the user is in a different environment. can influence the activities of immersed users, even inducing them to , such as to the top of a staircase.

The metaverse can also . For instance, Roblox has launched to bring 3D, interactive, virtual environments into physical and online classrooms. Roblox says it has , but no protections are perfect, and its metaverse involves user-generated content and a chat feature, which could be or people or other .

3. Lack of rural access to advanced infrastructure

Many metaverse applications such as . They require high-speed data networks to handle all of the across the virtual and physical space.

Many users, especially in rural areas, . For instance, 97% of the population living in urban areas in the U.S. has in tribal lands.

4. Adapting challenges to a new environment

Building and launching a metaversity requires drastic changes in a school鈥檚 approach to and learning.
For instance, metaverse but active participants in virtual reality games and other activities.

The combination of advanced technologies such as can create personalized learning experiences that are not in real time but still experienced through the metaverse. Automatic systems that tailor the content and pace of learning to the ability and interest of the student can make learning in the metaverse , with fewer set rules.

Those differences require significant , such as quizzes and tests. Traditional measures such as individualized and unstructured learning experiences offered by the metaverse.

5. Amplifying biases

Gender, racial and ideological biases are common in textbooks of and , which influence how students understand certain events and topics. In some cases, those biases prevent the achievement of justice and other goals, such as .

Biases鈥� effects can be even more powerful in rich media environments. are at views than textbooks. has the potential to be .

To maximize the benefits of the metaverse for teaching and learning, universities 鈥� and their students 鈥� will have to wrestle with protecting users鈥� privacy, training teachers and the level of national investment in broadband networks.

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