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Explore and Engage

Student Recruitment, Enrollment & Support

Virtual Schools in a Choice-Driven Era: Enrollment, Expectations, and Learner Support

SESSION DATES & TIMES COMING IN AUGUST 2026
Audience Classification: Online Learning
Audience Expertise: Strategic Growth - Experienced leaders focused on optimizing established programs and solving persistent challenges.
Grade Level Focus: Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools
Does this session focus on a specific product? No – This session is focused on ideas, strategies, or practices, not a specific product or service.
Abstract Description : As school choice expands, virtual schools are serving families with diverse expectations, backgrounds, and motivations. Parents now have greater freedom to choose district, charter, or private online schools. Many are drawn to online learning for its flexibility. However, families often lack a clear understanding of instructional and pacing expectations and student readiness required for success in a virtual school environment.

Compounding this, virtual schools are enrolling students from nontraditional settings, students from the COVID generation, and gifted learners whose needs may also be misunderstood. Often, students enter behind grade level or struggle to meet expectations without prior evaluation, while parents may expect rapid acceleration or minimal intervention. These misalignments strain instructional time and create difficult conversations in a choice-driven environment.

This interactive session engages educators and leaders in examining common student and parent profiles and discussing leadership decisions that support enrollment, teacher capacity, and strengthen family partnerships in virtual schools.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify at least three common student or parent profiles encountered in choice-driven virtual schools and describe how each profile impacts enrollment expectations, instructional demands, and teacher workload.
  • Articulate two leadership actions or communication strategies they can implement to address misaligned family expectations while protecting instructional time and supporting student success.