The Open High School of Utah: Openness, Disaggregation, and the Future of Schools

While the charter movement has a rich history in Utah, virtual charters are a recent development. In 2007, a founding board consisting of faculty, staff, and graduate students in Utah State University's Center for Open and Sustainable Learning prepared and submitted an application to create the state's second virtual charter, called the Open High School of Utah (OHSU). OHSU opens its virtual doors to ninth graders in the fall of 2009. While students are not yet through the virtual doors, OHSU still provides a glimpse at the ways in which openness, disaggregation, and the Internet will shape the future of schooling.