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U.S. Virtual Ed. Companies Court Global Clients

But despite the flexibility in delivering e-learning, barriers posed by geography and regionalism are slowing plans for growth

Within U.S. borders, online learning providers often approach districts, schools, and individual students and families by pitching the idea that virtual courses can help a student reach beyond a school system that falls short of addressing all student needs.

International e-learning consumers, by contrast, are approaching American virtual providers because they represent not an alternative to traditional American education, but an extension of it.

"A lot of the interest in U.S. [virtual] education is driven by the desire for U.S. higher education," said Bruce Davis, the vice president of worldwide business development for Herndon, Va.-based K12 Inc., the nation's largest for-profit online learning provider. "The U.S. remains a very desirable destination for higher education. … That affects the openness toward [American] middle school...