A study suggests that the social skills of students enrolled full-time in virtual education classes are either superior to or not significantly different from those of their counterparts enrolled in brick-and-mortar schools.
Commissioned by the Herndon, Va.-based K12 Inc., the study was conducted by the New York City-based Interactive Education Systems Design Inc., in collaboration with the Center for Research in Educational Policy at the University of Memphis.
It evaluated roughly 250 2nd, 4th, and 6th graders from four K12 Inc.-run virtual schools, grading them on responsibility, self-control, assertion, and cooperation. The report also found that a majority of virtual education students engage in after-school activities each week that involve face-to-face peer interaction.
