tillamook, you've received great advice above.
I'll just add that in preparation for college applications, your son may benefit from doing far more than his required online coursework for high school graduation.
Depending on his interests, goals, and motivations, any of these might provide a spark that leads to opportunity to shine in an area of passion... these are just a few ideas, in addition to the importance of in-person activities, as mentioned by aeh...
1) Free online college-level courses (
Khan academy,
Coursera, etc)
2) Unschooling ("
Self-Taught" documentary)
3)
Congressional Award for Youth4) Approaches, planning, and strategies mentioned in the book "
What Colleges don't tell you..." by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross (2007)
5) Book on
College-Essay-writing by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross (2009), including choosing a compelling topic
Hopefully your family will, through research and discussion, agree on a framework of goals and activities for moving ahead in a productive, supportive, and cohesive manner.
