Online high schools in Washington, D.C.

While the national graduation rate for high school students is about 75 percent, fewer than 60 percent of students in the Washington, D.C. class of 2011 obtained their high school diplomas in the customary four years. Accordingly, the District of Columbia Public Schools' (DCPS) five-year strategic plan has been implemented with the goal of improving D.C. schools across the board by 2017. Providing students with online learning opportunities may be one way to help raise the graduation rate.

Hybrid learning in online high schools in D.C.

Online high schools in D.C. offer students opportunities for credit recovery, enrichment and remediation of skills. Online students are also able to take additional courses not available at their schools and gain college readiness skills. The Online College and Career Prep (OCCP) program is available to D.C. high school students for online learning. DCPS uses Apex Learning as its main content provider of online courses for high school students, with "in school" and "after school" online learning hybrid options available.

The in-school model at Anacostia High School allows students to learn online among their peers. This is the model for kids who aren't able to attend a traditional school but need to recover credits. Students can attend the highly structured program day or evening. A two-week orientation ensures students have the tools they need to succeed. Students are assigned to a laptop and desk, they learn to track their progress and performance, and one-on-one tutoring is available.

At Luke C. Moore Academy High School, students can participate in online learning. Students here have more flexibility in a program that helps traditional students meet the requirements they need to graduate from high school. Teachers are available for students to connect with, students are monitored and faculty is kept apprised of their progress. The success lies in students being able to access help 24/7.

DCPS officials hope that by the 2016-2017 school year, 90 percent of the students will be able to say they like school. Offering programs to meet individual student needs, such as online learning technology, is an important component of meeting this goal.