| The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of the Virtual VA program. This was a qualitative study of the program's policies, procedures and principles. Furthermore, Virtual VA was compared to other, more tenured, online high school programs.;The following were guiding questions used in this study: What factors led to the development of Virtual VA?; What attributes indicate quality online instruction, and how does Virtual VA ensure the quality of its courses?; How might educators and political leaders benefit from the development of Virtual VA?; How does Virtual VA compare to successful, online secondary programs?; What future developments in online learning might impact Virtual VA?;The researcher interviewed five administrators from Virtual VA. The administrators attributed the success of Virtual VA to its commitment to the mission to meet the needs of underserved students. Most parents and staff were reported to be satisfied with the program, but quantitative studies have not been conducted. End-of-course student surveys indicate that most students are satisfied with their online experience. Virtual VA student achievement on AP tests was commensurate with student achievement in face-to-face classrooms. The most frequently reported critical components of the Virtual VA program were analogous to those of more tenured successful programs -- collaboration, courses, professional development, and quality control.;Recommendations for future research include: a longitudinal study of students' AP scores in online environments versus face-to-face classrooms; replication of this study to obtain the perspective of parents, students and teachers; and additional studies of virtual programs for secondary students to expand the research base for quality programs.;Conclusions of the study are that schools should encourage students to enroll in online courses. Schools should encourage teachers to explore online training and teaching opportunities to expand their exposure to, and expertise in, online learning and pedagogy. Technical infrastructures in schools should be developed with the intent of supporting online coursework by teachers and students. The Virtual VA program should integrate an external evaluation program to validate its results Finally, in an era of diminishing resources, schools should embrace educational opportunities that augment their ability to meet the diverse needs of students. |
