The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 73 O NLINE H IGH S CHOOL C OURSES T HE GROWING NUMBER AND SOPHISTICATION OF ONLINE COURSE OFFERINGS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MAKE THEM AN IMPORTANT NEW RESOURCE FOR FS FAMILIES . B Y K RISTI S TREIFFERT y the time they get to high school, Foreign Service teenagers have become some of the most resourceful people in the world. But even they can get dis- couraged by the enormous educational challenges they may face. Fortunately, FS families now benefit from technological advances that can help overcome many of the difficulties. An array of educational issues confront teens in FS fam- ilies. They have to deal with inconsistency in curricula due to frequent moves. And, despite the recognized advan- tages of overseas education, some international schools underperform compared to their American counterparts, and most have limited class offerings compared to large U.S. high schools. Online classes can help solve those problems, and stu- dents don’t even have to leave their international schools, activities and friends to take advantage of them. They can take individual classes online and receive credit from their schools (or at least receive transcripts to present to col- leges). The Linderman family, posted to Guayaquil used an online computer course to overcome a common logistical problem for FS families. “Our son was trying to take two routine courses that happened to be offered during the same period and at no other time in our small school,” Patricia Linderman reports. He wanted to take Advanced Placement biology, but it conflicted with the schedule for a school-required computer course. So instead he took the biology class from the University of Nebraska Independent Study High School. She notes that they would not have faced this problem at their large high school back in Virginia. And FSO Marlene Nice’s daughter, Andi, would have been unable to continue her Spanish studies in Zagreb without the online Spanish 4 course from the University of Nebraska during her sophomore year in high school. FS students often find it difficult to continue with languages when they move from one part of the globe to another, so such courses are among the most popular selection for online classes. Part-time online high school class offerings have recent- ly reached a new level of availability and sophistication, allowing FS families to jump in and realize immediate ben- efits: • Specialized online teachers are now trained and con- fident in using technology to teach at a distance. • Online educational services are accustomed to serving students all over the globe. • Advances in the way classes are delivered have made them flexible, interesting and interactive. • The U.S. system of regional accreditation is being extended to online programs, helping to bring them into the mainstream and enforce standards. • Partnerships between online and brick-and-mortar schools are making it easier to take advantage of Internet- based opportunities. Meeting FS Teens’ Needs Online classes offer the great gift of flexibility, both in pacing and timing. Some FS high school students miss out on summer school classes because of various travel con- straints — moving, home leave, rest and recreation, or family travel may limit their ability to participate in either S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT Kristi Streiffert, a Foreign Service spouse, is a freelance writer fromDurango, Colo. She writes about business, education, the environment and travel. B