FACTBOX: American Education and the Computer
Online education is a growing industry in the United States with estimated revenues of $12 billion at a dozen or so for-profit companies that provide primarily online learning.
Here are some facts and statistics:
- Of more than 18 million U.S. college students, 3.9 million were enrolled in at least one online college course in fall 2007, an increase of 13 percent from 2006. Traditional on-campus enrollment increased 1 percent over that period.
- 85 percent of students who take courses online live in the same region as the campus offering the course.
- 15 percent of kindergarten through high school students may be educated online by 2011, up from 4 percent in 2006.
- 87 percent of children aged 12 to 17 use the Internet. Two-thirds of nursery school children use computers. Just about every U.S. school is connected to the Internet.
- 70 percent of public high school students graduate. Two-thirds of graduates are seen as unprepared for college.
- 47 percent of drop-outs said a major reason for leaving school was "classes were not interesting" and they were "bored." Eighty-eight percent of drop-outs had passing grades. [Reuters]
