By fostering these connections, the Internet may help to dispel the myth that home school students are socially isolated, Lloyd said. Sconyers, who does most of her work independently, said she doesn't miss out on the individual attention that an in-class teacher might provide. Virtual schools like the Christa McAuliffe Academy , Laurel Springs School , and Oak Meadow Online School offer individualized online instruction for K-12 independent study at home. At Laurel Springs, all families have online access to teacher-advisors, office staff, and other students. Teachers keep in touch each month by email, fax, mail, or phone.
Students can take all or part of their curriculum online.
At Christa McAuliffe Academy, students can interact with peers through weekly virtual learning sessions that are scheduled and conducted by individual mentors. Some districts have even set up virtual charter schools to recruit home school students back into public education. Computers can be an effective lure that public schools can use to draw home schoolers back into the classroom, said Patricia Lines, who tracked home schooling for the U.S. Department of Education and is now a senior fellow with the Discovery Institute. But even with innovative computer and online programs, traditional schools may not keep pace with families who are using technology to teach at home. Wired Digital Inc. All rights reserved.