Technological advances have changed the face of education. Public and private schools are no longer the only options for parents when choosing how they want to educate their children. With the advent of the Internet, online schooling alternatives are increasing.

Two new Internet education options, one from the private Temecula-based Linfield Christian School and another from the Menifee-based Santa Rosa Academy charter school, sprouted over the summer in Southwest County for the 2005-06 school year.

They join the Perris-based Choice 2000, Vista-based Eagles Peak Charter School, which just opened a new learning center in Temecula, and Connections Academy, which serves Southern California students as well as nine other states, as options for Internet schooling.

The schools operate on a traditional schedule and employ credentialed teachers, their officials said. Four of the five are accredited, except for Santa Rosa Academy, which is new and will be going through the application process.

Officials from each of the five schools said in recent interviews that their biggest priority is to offer parents choices and flexibility in educating their children.

'It has worked for us'

There are numerous reasons why parents choose Internet schooling, they said.

One of the many reasons is to get students out of the public education system, which can introduce young minds to gangs, drugs, bullying and various forms of peer pressure, they said.

"Many of the (parents) come to us because they found the regular system just wasn't working for their children," said Choice 2000's Principal Cynthia Cartwright. "In many cases, there were too many distractions (at public schools)."

Such was the case for the children of Sun City resident Deborah Lanz, 40.

Lanz said she enrolled her children in Choice 2000 because she felt her son, Tim, was not getting the attention he needed from public school officials; and her daughter, Julianne, had a bad experience when other students brought beer on campus.

Lanz said her son, who is now a junior, has been enrolled in the school for four years, and her daughter, who is now a sophomore, has been enrolled for three years. It has been a positive and rewarding experience for the whole family, she said.

"We like it; it has worked for us," Lanz said. "(Tim) actually likes the aspect of the kids not bothering him. We can actually see he is going to school and doing his homework. … We have more control over what our kids are doing."

Mother and Nuevo resident Leanne Donason, 44, also enrolled her children in Choice 2000 for more control over their education and studies —— and to keep an eye on them, she said.

She said her daughter, Danna, would ditch high school and officials wouldn't know about it, and her son, Remington, was more interested in socializing than learning. With both high school-aged children now enrolled in Choice 2000, Donason said she can make sure they are studying and learning.

"For me, it's just I know where they are at," she said of her children. "And I can speak to a teacher every day, any day."

As an added bonus, Donason said her children no longer have to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it to the bus stop on time, and now can wake up later and turn on their computers to get to school.

Oftentimes, students such as the Donasons can get overwhelmed in larger campus settings, and parents turn to Internet schooling, officials said. Also, parents want to take a larger role in what and how their child learns, they said. For some aspiring athletes or actors who need time to develop their craft, as well as families who travel constantly, they find Internet schooling to be the best option, they said.

"Yesterday, I got a call from a lady in Washington state. Her son is a professional ballroom dancer and he needs flexibility in schooling," said Gary Breegle, the administrator of Linfield's online school. "And we have a semi-pro hockey player in the ninth grade who needs his afternoons off, so we are trying to accommodate him."

For some, health issues create a need to be taught from home, school officials said.

"If you ask 10 people, you'll get ten different answers," Connections Academy official Susan Fancher said of why parents choose online schooling. "We offer flexibility."

Computer campuses

With some Internet schooling, students are taught by teachers who use audio or visual equipment and conduct class over the Internet, sometimes called "schools without walls" or "virtual schools."

For example, Choice 2000, one of Eagles Peak's programs, its virtual academy, and Linfield's eight high school courses this year operate in this manner. Connections Academy is also offering this form of school for the first time this year, said Jean Swenk, its principal.

With this form of Internet schooling, students have classes they can listen to and participate in via the Internet. Some of the schools even offer a visual component.

"The reality is, it's just like a regular school," Cartwright said. "There's first and second (period), then a break, third and fourth, then a lunch."

While parents, grandparents, guardians or a student's so-called learning coach are not doing the actual instruction, they are expected to play a role in ensuring a student attends the Internet classes and completes their assignments, officials said.

In other cases, schooling is done mostly by parents, grandparents or guardians, who obtain educational support materials from the Web, and the school's teachers to instruct their children, grandchildren or wards. This is often referred to as Internet-based home schooling. Santa Rosa Academy, Connections Academy and Linfield's middle school classes are offered in this fashion.

With either method, the instruction is done at home either on a computer or receiving the curriculum and educational material from the Internet. There is no need for students to walk onto a campus, although many of the Internet programs offer students a chance to visit their schools' actual campuses and go on field trips or play sports with other students.

Enrollment for the five schools is markedly smaller than public schools. While the Temecula, Murrieta and Lake Elsinore public school districts have tens of thousands of students, these five programs have several hundred. Nevertheless, officials from each of the schools said they expect their programs to expand.

Linfield is a private school and charges tuition, but Santa Rosa Academy, Choice 2000, Connections Academy and Eagles Peak Charter School are public and free of tuition.

Schooling from home

With the advent of the Internet, online schooling is growing in popularity with more and more options developing. For local families, there are several options, including:

• Choice 2000 —— www.choice2000.org; (951) 940-5700.

• Connections Academy —— www.connectionsacademy.com; (800) 382-6010.

• Eagles Peak Charter School —— www.eaglespeak.org; (866) 806-3200.

• Linfield Christian School —— www.linfieldonline.com; (951) 676-8111.

• Santa Rosa Academy —— www.thesantarosaacademy.org; (951) 760-3247.

Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.