Guest contributor DR. REBEKAH REDMER serves as the Founder and Senior Advisor for Jenison Innovation Academy and U-Tech Prep. With 28 years of experience, Dr. Redmer designs and leads innovative learning models that put people first and quality at the center. Grounded in strong relationships and deep technical expertise, she helps schools and organizations build high-quality systems and programs built to last. She specializes in digital learning, including virtual, online, and hybrid models, as well as international education having designed and led a portfolio of innovative digital schools and international programs & initiatives.
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For almost 28 years, I’ve worked in public education. Seventeen of those years have been spent building digital schools and programs – online, virtual, hybrid, and blended – from the ground up. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of sitting across the table from hundreds of families, in person and virtually, helping them sort through their options and find a program that actually fits their child. Almost two decades of those conversations have taught me one thing above all: there is no shortage of programs out there, but there is a real shortage of clarity about how to choose between them.
If you’re a parent starting that search this back-to-school season, you already know the landscape is crowded. Maybe you’re homeschooling and looking for a single course to fill a gap. Maybe your student wants to get a head start on college through dual enrollment. Maybe you’re raising an athlete, a musician, or a young entrepreneur who needs a schedule that bends around practices, rehearsals, or a growing side business. Digital education can serve all of these families well – but only if you know what to look for.
Here are the three questions I ask families to work through first.
1. Credibility
Before anything else, find out how long the school or program has actually been operating, and under what accreditation or affiliation. A program in its first year may be perfectly capable, but you deserve to know that going in – track record matters, especially when credits need to transfer or count toward graduation. Ask directly: Who accredits this program? Is it affiliated with a public school district, a university, or a private entity? And just as important – are the teachers certified in their content area, and do they receive ongoing training specific to teaching in a digital environment? Teaching well online is a distinct skill set, not simply a classroom lesson moved onto a screen. A credible program invests in that training and can tell you exactly how.
2. Support and Guidance
Flexibility should never mean isolation. Ask what academic advising looks like day to day – not just what’s promised in a brochure. Will your child have a dedicated counselor or advisor they can actually reach, and how often do they check in? Is there a plan for tracking progress toward graduation requirements, especially if your student is splitting time between programs? For families managing a demanding schedule around sports, music, or a business, this kind of proactive guidance is often what determines whether the flexibility actually works – or whether a student quietly falls behind without anyone noticing.
3. Access
Finally, look closely at what your child will actually have access to. This goes well beyond the course catalog. Will they have real, responsive access to their teachers – not just recorded lessons, but people who answer questions and know their name? Is academic counseling built into the experience, or is it an extra your family has to seek out? If dual enrollment, AP, or honors coursework matters to your student, confirm exactly how those are structured and who’s eligible. And don’t overlook electives – the courses that let a student explore an interest outside the core curriculum are often what make a digital program feel like a full education rather than just a credit-recovery tool.
Finding the Right Fit
None of these questions have a single right answer – the right program for a homeschooling family piecing together one course looks different from the right program for a full-time online high schooler chasing a dual-enrollment diploma. What matters is that you ask the questions before you enroll, not after.
Digital education has come a long way from where it started, and for the right student, it can open doors that a traditional schedule simply can’t. Take the time this fall to ask about credibility, support, and access – your student’s experience will be shaped by the answers.
