Online Courses

Just saw this post in an online educational journal I receive:

The Washington Post reported on an Arlington, Va., continuing education program called Arlington Mill High School, "an initiative that offers not only classroom courses to help students get their degrees but also an online component that is becoming an increasingly important tool for educators to prevent students from dropping out."

The Post noted that the high dropout rate in low-income areas is "blame[d] in part on large, impersonal, rule-bound schools that don't adjust well to individual needs and peculiarities" by experts. Online courses allow students to work at their own pace, as well as provide them with a measure of independence. Even so, "[t]eachers involved with online courses for dropouts say that [some] kind of drive is essential."

However, there are limits to online learning. Some students' lack access to the necessary technology. Also, the courses are "dependent on students' reading abilities," and therefore students who do not speak English as their first language can find the courses difficult.

Sound familiar?

Any thoughts?