A growing number of families in Alaska have been enrolling their children in a home schooling program that officials say offers flexibility to those who live far from their nearest school.
The Peninsula Clarion reports that Interior Distance Education of Alaska, based out of Galena School District on the Yukon River, is attracting students throughout the state. Enrollment has risen by about 5 percent annually over the past five years.
The program has offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, southeast Alaska and the Mat-Su Valley.
Field representative for the Kenai Peninsula region, Suzanne Alioto, says the program allows parents to be more involved in deciding what their children are learning. The program has no mandated curriculum but students are still required to take state standardized tests.
