Michael Williams likes his No. 64 racing motorbike, a dirt track and getting his education on a laptop.
After he missed more than 40 days his senior year at Creek Wood High School to turn professional in the Motocross series, his lifestyle no longer jibed with block scheduling and pep rallies.
His school district, Dickson County, struck an agreement with Metropolitan Nashville Schools – the 18-year-old could finish English, chemistry and economics from teachers on the other side of a computer cable and get his diploma through Metro’s virtual school program.
That opportunity will reach countless other young Tennesseans next month, when a new law allows any school district to start its own virtual school, adding the Volunteer State to a growing online education movement. Students with pursuits like Williams’, home-schoolers and private school students can enroll full or part time, learning without ever entering a school building.
Educators encourage virtual courses because students probably will have the experience in college, and districts could use them to save money. Putnam County requires high school students to take an online course. Metro suggests its students do the same but doesn’t mandate it.