Why Transportation Must be Wary of Virtual Schooling for K-12

By Ryan Gray

For several decades now, online courses have been a resource for adult continuing education. But virtual schools are also gaining steam in public childhood education, and student transporters best become familiar with how such services can affect their operations.

I first grew interested in this trend a couple years ago as virtual field trip providers entered the education scene as an alternative to expensive, traditional student visits to museums and the such. My initial reaction was how sad it was that some students now were being deprived of my favorite part of school growing up. But the ramifications go far beyond escaping the classroom for several hours and the hands-on learning that can result. In speaking with one transportation software provider, I asked if these virtual field trip companies are in fact becoming a new competitor?

While you won't hear many industry vendors officially say so, the general feeling is that the growth of virtual school programs ... and now classes ... is something the industry must closely monitor, especially in light of a growing movement aimed at protecting school transportation as we know it. Then, just last week, the University of Florida released a study that said virtual schools can increase student learning while also driving down skyrocketing school costs, such as transportation. Look for more on this topic in our July magazine issue.

Surprisingly, many school transporters we talked to for our editorial coverage said they don't see a correlation between transportation and online learning. That disconnect could spell very big problems for an industry that's fighting for its life amid the current economy and state budget crises nationwide.