School Choice & Charters

Stanford Online School to Serve Highly Gifted

By Christina A. Samuels — August 29, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A self-contained program for the profoundly gifted, in the 5,000-student Madison school district in Phoenix, was once the perfect place for 12-year-old David Sell.

But the district goes only through 8th grade. And David, who has already completed calculus and advanced classes in science and English, needed a new, challenging course of academics. His parents considered moving to other states in order to take advantage of programs they believed met David’s academic needs.

But with Stanford University’s announcement that it is creating an online private high school for the gifted this fall, David can be challenged at home.

“I think this is a huge solution for a big problem,” said Dr. Miriam Sell, David’s mother and a family physician in Phoenix.

Parents of profoundly gifted children are used to cobbling together academic solutions—a college class here, a summer enrichment program there. Since 1990, Stanford’s Education Program for Gifted Students has been one of those options. The university has offered online courses since 1990, and summer on-campus enrichment programs since 2000.

The Online High School, which will offer a cohesive curriculum, is a natural outgrowth of those programs, said Raymond Ravaglia, the deputy director of Stanford’s program for gifted students.

Full-time students will pay $12,000 a year to take classes through the online school, which offers courses in such subjects as multivariable differential calculus and quantum mechanics.

David Sell, who has taken Stanford online courses before, is looking forward to the new challenge.

“It allows me to take courses at my own pace, and I don’t have to be dragged down by other people,” he said.

Joseph S. Renzulli, the director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, in Storrs, Conn., sees both good and bad in such offerings as the Stanford online school.

“People that can afford it can take advantage of it,” Mr. Renzulli said. “Public schools aren’t doing enough for children who need high levels of challenge.”

A version of this article appeared in the August 30, 2006 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Reading Instruction and AI: New Strategies for the Big Education Challenges of Our Time
Join the conversation as experts in the field explore these instructional pain points and offer game-changing guidance for K-12 leaders and educators.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Choice & Charters Opinion A School Without Bells or Report Cards. Can It Fly?
Students at one private school earn "learning credits" rather than traditional grades. What does that look like?
8 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School Choice & Charters Charter Schools Find Quiet Support in a World Focused on Private School Choice
As Republicans and Democrats fight over private school choice, charter schools are left in the middle.
7 min read
Robert Hill, Head of School at Alice M. Harte Charter School, talks with students in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018.
Robert Hill, Head of School at Alice M. Harte Charter School, talks with students in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018. Charter schools have taken a backseat in school choice debates to policies expanding private school choice.
Gerald Herbert/AP
School Choice & Charters Q&A Here's What's Next for Charter Schools, According to Their Chief Advocate
Nina Rees, head of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, sat down with Education Week to discuss the future of charter schools.
7 min read
Nina Rees walks on stage during the National Charter Schools Conference held from June 18 through June 21, 2023, at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.
Nina Rees walks on stage during the National Charter Schools Conference held from June 18 through June 21, 2023, at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.
Courtesy of McLendon Photography
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Programs Are Having a Moment. But It's Not All Smooth Sailing
Several states have passed private school choice programs with universal eligibility. But some have seen road bumps as they implement them.
9 min read
Illustration of a schoolhouse in a shopping cart
Getty Images