Myths About Online Learning

MYTH: Students who attend online schools lack socialization and social skills.
FACT: The K¹² International Academy provides opportunities for students to socialize online in safe virtual environments. Additionally, the K¹² International Academy sponsors extracurricular clubs and activities in which K12 students can “virtually” participate. We also encourage students to participate in community athletics, clubs, and service organizations. As a result, students benefit from having friends in their online school as well as in outside activities. This leads to richer and more successful social lives for our students. In fact, a recently conducted study of parents with students using the K12 program in the U.S. indicates that students spent four hours per week on extra-curricular activities, which is the same, or more, dedicated time prior to enrolling in the K¹² International Academy. However, for more than one third of the respondents, time spent on extra-curricular activities actually increased!

MYTH: Students enrolled in online schools spend all day staring at a computer.
FACT: K¹² International Academy students in kindergarten through fifth grade do only about 20 to 30 percent of their work online. The rest of the work is done offline—they read books, solve math problems on paper, draw, and conduct science experiments. As children get older and their reading skills improve, instruction and activities will involve increased computer use, according to educational standards. However, offline work will always be essential.

MYTH: Online schools lack the structure of traditional schools.
FACT: Many parents find the K12 curriculum to be very structured. The lessons and activities that students complete each day have been developed so that an adult has all of the tools and structure necessary to use the program successfully with the help of a committed teacher. However, the program is also flexible—you can modify an activity to meet your child’s needs or interests, or build on the spontaneity that can occur during a particular lesson or on a particular day. In high school, the K¹²9¹² program provides the structure needed to ensure that students earn all necessary credits toward a high school diploma.

MYTH: Guiding your children's learning is a full-time job.
FACT: Acting as your child's “learning coach” does take time. Your children will need to spend an average of four to six hours on schoolwork each day, and they will need your oversight to make sure they remain on task, particularly in grades K-8. However, the time you spend working with your children does not have to be continuous. Direct parental participation can range from 80 percent for early grades—where the parent facilitates the child finding materials and moving through each day at a reasonable pace—to about 50 percent for middle school. By high school, the student is expected to be more accountable for managing his or her own time. High school students follow a stricter pacing pattern, with a group of similar students, and under the supervision of a larger team of teachers; therefore, parental participation drops to about 10 percent.

MYTH: Students enrolled in online schools do not exercise.
FACT: P.E. and Personal Health are required high school courses at the K¹² International Academy, demonstrating the K¹² commitment to students' health—both mental and physical. These courses rely upon students recording their daily exercise in an activity log tailored to their fitness objectives. Additionally, many online school students play in community soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, and other sports leagues.