Home based education has evolved and grown in popularity over the last few decades. During covid, distance learning options became more prevalent and the topic of many education-based conversations at the dinner table. For over 20 years, the online education experts at Trio Wolf Creek online high school in Chisago Minnesota has been perfecting the art of online education for high school students while everyone else was just getting started in the last couple of years. Due to the rapid evolution of technology and the increase in home based education caused by Covid, distance learning education solutions have been inaccurately grouped together. This blog post is going to take an in-depth look at the 3 primary types of home based high school education solutions which include fully accredited online high schools, home schooling and fully accredited hybrid high schools like Trio Wolf Creek.

The first thing we need to do is establish a baseline for what constitutes home based high school education. For the purposes of this article, at-home education will be defined as any form of education that takes place outside of a traditional brick and mortar high school. Technically speaking, at home education does not have to take place in a student’s home which is why recently the term distance learning has been the most widely used term when discussing high school education options outside of the standard classroom. This article is also just referencing high school distance learning and does not address grades K-8.

The first distance learning solution for high school students living in Minnesota that we are going to dive into is the traditional home schooling option. What is home schooling? Trio Wolf Creek is a hybrid online high school in Minnesota so to ensure that we are accurate when discussing home schooling, we are utilizing information taken from the home-schooling informational website “Home School Boss” which you can visit by clicking here. Home schooling is when a high school student is receiving a high school education via a private tutor, a parent, a relative, or being self-taught. Just like every other form of traditional education or accredited distance learning in Minnesota, all students that choose to participate in home schooling are required to be fully up to date on required vaccinations and meet standard education requirements for reading, writing, literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health and physical education. Whether or not the education standards are met is based on Minnesota yearly test requirements. Home School Boss has a great web page with very detailed information about these testing requirements. You can access this web page by clicking here.

Below is a list of pros and cons associated with home schooling for high school students in the state of Minnesota.

Pros

• No guidelines on how to educate students for any of the required subjects.
• • Not all students learn the same way. Teachers in a traditional brick and mortar high school a limited to established curriculum and do not have the time or flexibility to cater to individual students when it comes to customizing curriculums. By contrast, by home schooling a high school student in Minnesota, you can cater the curriculum to make sure that capitalizes on the student’s individual strengths.
• No set schedule.
• • Although a consistent and established schedule has been proven to be the best method of any kind of learning, home school students are not required to adhere to any kind of set schedule other than one they choose for themselves. This schedule flexibility allows for high school students to work part time jobs or have more time for social activities. Some students learn better in the evening vs in the morning. With home schooling you can set the schedule that best works for the student.
• Bullying
• • Unfortunately bullying is a real issue and seems to be getting worse as opposed to getting better. By choosing home schooling for high school, a student is not as exposed to be bullied by other students on a daily basis. There is still the issue with online or social media bullying however by not being in the actual classroom, the student is not subjected to physical bullying daily.

Cons

• Social interaction
• • The most obvious difference and potential con when choosing home schooling is the lack of social interaction with peers. When attending a traditional high school, a student is interacting with his or her peers usually Monday through Friday. By choosing home schooling, the student is more secluded and has less interaction with other students his or her own age.
• Consistent Schedule and Curriculum
• • Traditional high schools have a set schedule and established curriculums. Home schooling on the other hand leaves the schedule and the curriculum up to the parent or the student. Being at home can be very distracting and provide additional obstacles to overcome when a home schooled student is trying to establish a schedule, lesson plan, or curriculum.
• Quality of education.
• • There is no guarantee that home schooling for a high school student will provide a better education. Although the Minnesota public a private schools are not perfect, they are full of experienced educators and support staff that ensure that a high school student receives the best possible education. With that said, traditional schools are not without their own obstacles and issues so it is possible to receive a better education via home schooling but it’s by no means a guarantee.

The next example of Minnesota distance learning we will look at is online education or online high schools. A Minnesota fully accredited online high school is an actual publicly funded high school for Minnesota students that provides approved high school curriculum using a online format which is usually in the form of a website or web application. Two of the most used web applications for online high school education are Moodle and Schoology. Trio Wolf Creek High School has experience utilizing both systems and is currently utilizing Schoology to handle their online curriculum. Moodle and Schoology are just two of several existing online high school software solutions available. The biggest difference between online education and home schooling is that the curriculum and lessons are supplied by the school just like in a traditional high school. Public online high schools are publicly funded and fully accredited in the state of Minnesota. Online high schools have quite a few advantages as well as a couple disadvantages when compared to home schooling or a traditional high school. Here is a list of some of those pros and cons.

Pros

• Quality of education
• • The quality of education for online high school students is on par and in many cases superior to the quality of education provided by a traditional high school. The teachers, counselors, and support staff that work at an online high school are required to have the same training and qualifications as those working in a traditional brick and mortar high school. When compared to home schooling, the individual in charge of putting together lesson plans and curriculum does not have to adhere to any minimum requirements.
• Flexibility
• • Just like with home schooling, online high school allows high school students to be more flexible with their schedule. Since the education materials are available online 24/7, high school students are free to receive their education on a schedule that works best for them. This can vary if the online high school utilizes live webinars or seminars in their curriculum.
• Individual help and tutoring
• • Online high schools usually have “Learning Managers” that help ensure the students are on track to meet all the Minnesota state requirements and are available in the student has any questions or needs additional help. In the instance where a student requires additional help or tutoring, the learning manager can help the student locate and utilize the best available resources to meet their individual needs.

Cons

• Social Interaction
• • Just like with home schooling, online high schools suffer from the ability to provide the social interaction between peers that comes natural to a traditional high school. Online high school does however provide students the ability to take advantage of high school athletics and after school activities within their school district.
• Educational Resources
• • Traditional high schools tend to have more available resources for students to take advantage of and utilize for their education. Things like labs, gymnasiums, cafeterias, art classrooms and music rooms are usually in every traditional high school however online high schools rely heavily on the student or the student’s parents to provide these resources when needed.
• Structure
• • Not all students will thrive in an environment where their day is not structured. Some students will get distracted and fall behind. Learning managers are a great resource to help keep a student on track, but they do not follow the student around all day to ensure that he or she is doing what they need to be doing. In these instances, a traditional high school is the best solution for a Minnesota high school student.

The last available option for distance learning in Minnesota is a hybrid online high school. A hybrid online high school like Trio Wolf Creek is a Minnesota high school that provides fully accredited high school education to MN students by using a combination of online distance learning with traditional brick and mortar facilities. This combination of online and in-person education takes advantage of all the positives associated with online education while at the same time addresses the weaknesses.

Pros

• Social Interaction>
• • Hybrid high schools like Trio Wolf Creek have an actual campus where students can come visit to interact with their peers. Online home schooling and online high school students are usually isolated where as students of Trio Wolf Creek regularly come into the campus for labs and other in school activities which allows students to interact with one another.
• Flexibility
• • Home schooling and online high schools provide students with schedule flexibility however only a hybrid high school like Trio Wolf Creek can provide flexibility when it comes to the learning environment. Hybrid online high schools have an actual campus with teachers, support staff, and resources that students can utilize if they choose. Trio Wolf Creek for example has a lab for students to do science experiences and a music room students can utilize for music class. Hybrid Minnesota high schools provide the highest quality education with the most flexibility.
• Cost
• • Hybrid and online high schools are both publicly funded, and tuition is free for Minnesota high school students. The advantage got to hybrid high schools like Trio Wolf Creek because with an online high school, the student or parents of the student are responsible for providing a lot of resources like lab equipment, art supplies and musical instruments. Students that attend Trio Wolf Creek online high school are able to visit the high school campus in Chisago City Minnesota and utilize their facility and resources with having to deal with the costs associated with purchasing the materials, supplies and resources themselves.

There are no cons to choosing a hybrid Minnesota high school which is why for may people hybrid schools are the best option for their high school student. Trio Wolf Creek has been providing high quality tuition free high school education to Minnesota students for almost 2 decades. If you are interested in learning more about hybrid high schools or just want to know what makes Trio Wolf Creek the best high school in Minnesota then please give one of our Minnesota distance learning professionals a call today at 651 213-2095.