More Students Learning Online, Amid Education Quality Questions

The New York Times (4/6, Gabriel, Subscription Publication) reports on the "expanding ranks of students in kindergarten through grade 12 - more than one million in the United States, by one estimate - taking online courses. Advocates of such courses say they allow schools to offer not only makeup courses, the fastest growing area, but also a richer menu of electives and Advanced Placement classes when there are not enough students to fill a classroom." However, "critics say online education is really driven by a desire to spend less on teachers and buildings, especially as state and local budget crises force deep cuts to education."