When their daughter, Lindsey, was nearing kindergarten, Dirk and Jennifer Ockerlander evaluated public, private and religious schools to determine which would offer the best education for their child.
None of those options seemed right.
Jennifer Ockerlander, a former U.S. Navy nurse and now a stay-at-home mom, had no background in education, so home-schooling didn’t seem to be an option for the family. After more research of alternatives, the Ockerlanders found Wisconsin Virtual Academy, an online school for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, offered by the Northern Ozaukee County School District. The Ockerlanders, who live in Colgate, enrolled Lindsey in the online school two years ago for kindergarten and have yet to regret their decision. Recently, they also added their son, Luke, age 4, to the “virtual” school’s enrollment. Luke will be in kindergarten this fall and Lindsey will begin online classes in the second grade.
For the rest of the article, go to Learning online: Enrollment in ‘virtual’ schools increases as parents seek options
