Counseling Is a Virtual Experience for Students at Online Schools

Nationwide, an estimated 310,000 students in 30 states now attend "multi-district, fully online" schools, according to the Evergreen Education Group, a consulting firm based in Durango (CO). As the sector grows, those running the schools -- usually states or charter school boards, both of which often contract with private companies for management services -- are wrestling with how to better support the academic, social, and emotional needs of students they rarely see in person.

"The challenge is to make sure [full-time online schools] are really providing a comprehensive school counseling program to students," said H. Eric Sparks, the assistant director of the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) based in Alexandria (VA). "It's very much a developing field." Proponents say that virtual school counseling has its advantages, particularly for students more comfortable interacting online than in person. And some of the counseling practices utilized in full-time online schools are now being taken up by traditional schools seeking to catch up with their tech-savvy students. But how to best respond to at-risk children who may be located hundreds of miles away and how to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive student information disclosed online remain challenges.