OER Knowledge CloudJournal Article20132013/03Tonks, DeLainaWeston, SarahWiley, David A.Barbour, MichaelMcGreal, RoryConrad, Diannevirtual schoolopen educationK-12 online learningcyber schoolUnited StatesThe International Review of Research in Open and Distributed LearningThe International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning141256-2711492-3831The use of online learning at the primary and secondary school level is growing exponentially in the United States. Much of this growth is with full-time online schools, most of which are operated by for-profit companies that use proprietary online course content. In this article we trace the development of, and philosophy behind, a full-time online school that uses open access software and open educational resources for course content. As more nations begin to put in place plans for primary and secondary education in the event of natural disasters (e.g., the Christchurch earthquakes) or pandemics (e.g., avian flu or H1N1), the availability of open online content is of critical importance.yeshttp://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1345http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/13451345-11569-1-PB.pdfUnited States, North America