The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

76 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT sometimes do not allow advanced stu- dents to take higher-level courses than their age cohort. Students who encounter this problem could choose to advance online. Teenagers with special interests such as business, art or technology often do not have an opportunity at overseas posts to pursue these fields academically. “Our school is for stu- dents who have a knack for technolo- gy or business, and our certified teachers are highly experienced and passionate about technology. Stu- dents can attend either on a full-time or a part-time basis,” says Cathy Shoaf, vice president of marketing at Giant Campus Academy. A growing selection of courses gives FS kids opportunities to pursue passions. Liz Pape, the president and chief executive officer of Virtual High School, says that VHS courses enable international students to get their feet wet in an intended college major, for instance. “A student who has an interest in marketing could take our ‘Marketing and the Internet’ course or an entre- preneurship course,” she says. “This also [might] help students to avoid wasting years on a major that doesn’t end up being a fit.” Partnerships: A New Dimension Perhaps the most exciting new development in education for FS teens is the direct partnership be- tween numerous international schools and online education providers, a way for overseas schools to enhance the variety and depth of classes they can offer. “K 12 started this about two years ago after visiting with American embassy students in India, where we picked up on a need for students to have extended course options,” says Julie Linn. “Today we have partner- ships with 40 schools, resulting in 600 course enrollments.” VHS also partners with 42 schools in 33 countries, says Pape, “to sup- plement in-person courses with online AP, enrichment and core courses.” VHS has 464 enrollments from those international schools for this school year, she adds. Advances in the way classes are delivered have made them flexible, interesting and interactive.