Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Soliciting opinions about online courses

OnlineG3 teaches MCT grammar and vocab and they do it well. My daughter loves the literature classes there in particular. Online3G.com.

Agreed, it's not a free market. However, it's untrue that market dynamics can't be applied to a public industry with dampened price signals. They can be, but the price multiplier effects would be distorted by the disconnect between payor and consumer. Narrow that disconnect and you achieve more efficient outcomes.

One way to do this would be to make private education amounts fully tax deductible on an achievement and needs basis, with lump sum subsidies to top up low income households. Voila! Equal access, not equal outcome, like the current system is designed to achieve.

Then the issue at hand becomes how to scalably address the long tail that is the gifted market at cost parity. It's that cost parity under the public system that may be problematic because of the lack of agglomeration economies in the gifted world.

PS. Feel free to PM me to chop this comment if you feel it derails the central discussion. It's not my intent to hijack!

Also, thanks for starting this thread. Val-uable information!

Thanks for the review of CTS's online AP course, Val. Unfortunately, I've heard numerous complaints about AP courses lately, both online and B&M. What I hear from friends in the schools: The classes aren't so intellectually challenging as they are time-management-challenging. IE loads and loads of homework. In classrooms, teachers present the material as easily digestible power point slides with little mind expanding discussion. I'm suspecting many if not most of the AP courses are basically just test-prep vehicles, and the emphasis on memorizing testable facts is the nature of the beast. A beast we've all helped to create with our desires to give our kids a leg up and get ahead of the game. When choosing a history course for our kids, maybe we are forced to choose between depth and quality or potential college credit -- if we're lucky and have these choices. Considering how expensive college is these days, it's a darn difficult choice, and it feels unfair. However, considering what standardized test graders are paid and the amount of time they spend on each test, I'm not sure we'll see any major changes -- at least not without a significant cost attached. And there we get into some tricky business --- but my mother taught me that ladies don't discuss economics I have some great cookie recipes, though!

Kitty