Virtual high schools in the United States: current views, future visions

Introduction As microcomputers began to enter American schools and classrooms in the 1970s, an increased interest in distance learning accompanied them. Until the Internet became so popular in the mid-1990s, distance learning in schools usually took the form of supplementary and enrichment lessons (Roblyer, 2003). Except for the occasional satellite delivery or instructional television initiative for schools (US Congress, 1991; Kirby and Roblyer, 1999), the practice of offering complete courses by distance learning was primarily the province of higher education.