Angela Altrichter home-schooled all three of her sons through eighth grade.

But as her boys got older, Altrichter realized she didn't want to teach high school.

She looked for a program with a low student-to-teacher ratio and eventually chose 21st Century Cyber Charter School in Exton.

Altrichter's youngest son, Aaron, is now a junior at the school, where his schedule includes both live online lessons and independent assignments.

It's a good fit for Aaron, who hopes to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

"[My teachers] are always very supportive," he said. "When we complete assignments, they give us very positive feedback."

The Altrichters, of Lancaster Township, are among a growing number of Pennsylvania families who are choosing cyber-charter schools.

Sixteen cyber-charters operate throughout the state, including four that opened just this fall. Another eight have applied to open next year, including one that plans a "cyber cafe" in Lancaster.

In 2011-12, the schools enrolled 32,322 students, including 1,404 from Lancaster County.

Cyber-charter schools are public schools. The Pennsylvania Department of Education grants the schools' charters and has financial and academic oversight.

Families do not pay tuition. When a student within a school district's boundaries attends a cyber-charter school, the district foots the bill.

Cyber-charters are magnets for controversy, attracting defenders and detractors who are equally passionate.

Supporters say the schools offer choice and flexibility to families, who, for a variety of reasons, are dissatisfied by their experiences in traditional school districts.

Critics, on the other hand, say cyber-charters produce lackluster academic results, operate without sufficient oversight and put a financial strain on local districts.

Sharon Williams, head of school for Agora Cyber Charter School, Wayne, said despite cyber-charters' phenomenal recent growth, most people don't understand how the schools actually work.

"There's a perception that we don't know who these kids are," she said. "Not true.

"We are a full-service school. We have a special education department. We have a National Honor Society. ... Anything your local school has, we have it."

How cyber-charters operate
There is no one typical cyber-charter school in Pennsylvania.

In 2011-12, enrollment ranged from 112 students at Central PA Digital Learning Foundation to 10,559 at The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School.

Cyber-charters give students computers, printers and reimbursement for Internet service. Some provide other supplies, such as digital cameras and pedometers.

Some cyber-charters are connected to management companies or intermediate units (regional educational service agencies). Others operate independently.

All cyber-charters are governed by independent school boards. Many schools have satellite offices across the state to offer greater access to families.

The management companies, which provide computers, curriculum, textbooks and other services, are a source of controversy.

State Auditor General Jack Wagner, a vocal critic of charter school funding, has recommended limiting fees paid to management companies.

Schools' relationships with the companies "can result in excessive profit-making with public education dollars," he said.

Total School District costs/reimbursements

School district tuition payments per student

But leaders of cyber-charter schools that use management companies said the relationship allows them to deliver quality online content.

Agora is part of a national network of schools affiliated with K12 Inc.

"I get the latest and greatest research," Williams said. "I have the opportunity to connect with other schools like ours. We share our challenges and best practices."

Cyber-charter school Achievement House CEO Dr. Timothy Daniels said the school's independence allows it to better serve students and families.

"We're not in Arlington, Va., or New York or Baltimore," he said. "We manage our own destiny in terms of education and technology, and that is rare."

A diverse student body
Emily Bailey, an eighth-grader at PA Cyber, wants to be a professional dancer. She practices for two to four hours nearly every day, ending as late as 9:15 p.m.

Attending a cyber-charter school gives Emily more time for both homework and dance practice.

"It's really flexible," said Emily, who lives in Penn Manor School District. "I love it."

Emily's schedule includes self-paced and live lessons. Her parents, Andy and Lena, leave much of the responsibility for schoolwork up to her.

"I don't think it's for every kid," Andy Bailey said. "You have to be disciplined."

The flexibility of online learning appeals to students like Emily, including actors, gymnasts, frequent travelers and those who work.

Cyber-charter schools allow students to work at their own pace. Many record live lessons so students can catch up at their convenience.

As a cyber-charter student, Victoria Asplen participated on a dog-show circuit and held down a part-time job.

 "It opens up a lot of doors to be able to have a flexible schedule," said Asplen, now curriculum coordinator at Achievement House.

Online learning also appeals to former home-schoolers, gifted students, bullying victims or families unhappy with their home school district.

Some Achievement House students are pregnant or temporarily living in rehab facilities, Asplen said.

"For a lot of our students, this is their last opportunity," she said.

A high percentage of cyber-charter students — typically 20 to 25 percent — require special-education services.

Cocalico superintendent Dr. Bruce Sensenig said there are too many unanswered questions about how to successfully teach special-education students in a cyber school.

"How do you deal with autism online?" he said.

But cyber-charter leaders say their schools provide more mainstreaming opportunities for special-education students.

A special-education teacher may co-teach a class, but other students don't know which classmates require that support. Students' problem behavior also may not cause as much disruption in a cyber setting.

"I really think this is the ultimate individualization," Achievement House CEO Daniels said. "We can take you where you are and meet your needs."

The schools foster a much less judgmental environment for everyone, said Tom Schaaf, a sixth-grade teacher at Commonwealth Connections Academy, Harrisburg.

"They're not affected by how other kids look or what kind of clothes they're wearing," he said. "They judge each other only on the quality of their interaction."

The head of the class
Charter school teachers face less stringent requirements than those in traditional public school districts.

All teachers in public school districts must be state-certified. Charter school law requires only 75 percent of teachers to be certified.

A new, more rigorous evaluation system for Pennsylvania public school teachers and principals is in development and expected to be in place by 2013-14.

Charter school teachers are not subject to the current 30-year-old evaluation system and would not be included in the new system.

Many cyber-charter leaders said their schools go beyond the state requirements.

"Our board wants 100 percent, so 100 percent are state-certified and highly qualified," Commonwealth Connections CEO Dr. Maurice Flurie said. "No way would we allow a standard less than a traditional school district."

"Highly qualified" teachers hold at least a bachelor's degree and a Pennsylvania teaching certificate, and demonstrate subject matter competency for the core content area they teach, according to the PDE.

Annual reports posted on the PDE's website show cyber-charter student-to-teacher ratios ranging from 5:1 to 55:1.

Cyber-charter leaders said until recently, the average teacher had about four or five years experience. But in the tighter job market, more veteran teachers are looking for work.

"Somebody who is a good teacher is a good candidate to be trained in cyber teaching," Achievement House's Daniels said. "We hire all experienced teachers. In this market, they are available."

He and other cyber-charter leaders said teachers participate in a lengthy mentoring program. Desks typically are arranged for easy collaboration.

Most schools assign a teacher or other staff member to serve as a "mentor" or "coach" to each family.

No matter what their experience, cyber teachers must be comfortable with technology, Agora's Williams said.

"There are great teachers in the [traditional] classroom that [cyber teaching] does not translate for them," she said.

Connecting with kids
Critics of cyber-charter schools question how teachers can truly connect with students when they rarely, if ever, meet face to face.

But Achievement House's Asplen said online learning actually offers more opportunities for one-on-one interaction.

"You get to know your students much more quickly and much more deeply," she said.

Teachers typically are available beyond traditional school hours and use many forms of communication, cyber-charter leaders said.

21st Century student Aaron Altrichter said if he has a question, he visits a teacher's online "office."

Commonwealth Connections teachers can meet face-to-face with students at seven "teaching centers" across the state, Flurie said.

"You can email a teacher, you can call a teacher," he said. "Our teachers are in here from 7 in the morning till 8 at night."

At the school's Harrisburg headquarters, teachers lead lessons and make phone calls from cubicles with optional curtains. Many decorate their "classrooms" with maps or other colorful backgrounds.

On a recent Friday afternoon, geometry teacher Keri Jenkins called families to check in.

"She's in my lessons all the time," Jenkins told one parent. "She's doing so wonderful. I just want to talk to her."

Teaching them a lesson
At some cyber-charter schools, teachers write their own curriculum based on Pennsylvania standards.

Other schools, including Agora and Commonwealth Connections, purchase curriculum from management companies.

"We wouldn't have the financial resources to develop 400 courses with that type of quality," Flurie said.

Teacher Schaaf said not having responsibility for curriculum gives him more time to focus on teaching. In live lessons, he can adapt the curriculum to suit his students.

"I get to do what I love to do — instruct," Schaaf said. "I also get time to make connections with our families."

At 21st Century, teachers write most of the curriculum. Each course takes about 400 hours to develop, CEO Jon Marsh said. Teachers write them over the summer.

"A high percentage of classes are written by us," he said. "If a kid comes in and asks for Japanese, I don't have it. But I do have Mandarin Chinese and Spanish."

Achievement House teachers also write their own curriculum. On a recent Thursday morning, science teacher Michael Conforti planned a virtual field trip to a nearby nature center.

In one of a half-dozen virtual studios, teacher Leah Throckmorton led a ninth-grade English class discussion of "The Hobbit."

A Web-based meeting program allowed students to see Throckmorton, who wore a headset and verbally posed questions.

Students typed in their answers. Throckmorton gave microphone privileges to anyone with a question.

"Good answers on the board. Keep them coming," she said. "I love to know what you're thinking."

In a nearby room, moderators made sure the lesson flowed smoothly. As class wound down, Throckmorton asked a final question.

"These are all very good ideas," she said. "If you've given me a response, you are free to exit the room. See you next class."

Building a community
Cyber-charter leaders say one of the biggest misconceptions is that their students are "loners."

Emily Bailey said she misses some of her friends but sees others in dance class. (PA Cyber reimburses families $100 a month for physical activity, which includes ballet classes, her parents said.)

Emily, who is taking high-school level French, is president of the French Club, which holds virtual meetings.

"Agora" means "gathering place." Building connections within the school community is a major key to student success, Williams said.

The school holds regular events, including ice-skating parties, prom and a statewide spirit day.

Achievement House students can join a variety of clubs, including Students Against Drunk Driving, golf, gaming and Student Council.

Creating a community is challenging when students are scattered statewide, senior director of communications Lynn Rodden said.

"We have to work a little harder here to engage them," she said. "We're always trying different things to find out what is of interest to families."

Commonwealth Connections also reimburses families for the cost of physical fitness activities and musical instrument lessons.

"We consider that to be an equally important part of their education," director of administrative services Jennifer Clarke said.

Last year Commonwealth Connections hosted 500 field lessons and social events across the state.

"It's a vibrant, social schooling environment," CEO Flurie said. "It's a much more vibrant family community than most people would anticipate."

The school brings lessons, events and teachers to students using its mobile classroom, a customized 38-foot RV outfitted with microscopes, laptops and an outdoor flat-screen monitor.

The school used about $200,000 in federal stimulus funds to purchase and convert the RV, Clarke said.

The vehicle has hosted science experiments, service projects, art classes and a book fair. Its odometer hit 46,000 miles in just 18 months.

Cyber-charter students also can find social opportunities by participating in activities in their home school districts, Clarke said.

Angela Altrichter credited the local home-school organization and church youth groups for helping her family stay connected.

And, she said, "The one thing I like most about cyber school is that I get to see my kids all the time."

Contact the reporters at mschweigert@lnpnews.com and csmedley@lnpnews.com.