Online High School Accreditation
Accreditation is the process of reviewing a school's programs and policies to see if it meets certain criteria that are set by an outside agency. When a school is deemed to have met the minimum criteria, it is granted accreditation. Accreditation is a safety mechanism and without any kind of unbiased agency reviewing a school's program, online schools would be less inclined to act ethically (some don't anyway.) When you receive a diploma from an online school that is properly accredited, you can rest assured that most -if not all- employers will accept it.
Notice in the above paragraph the words 'properly accredited.' Not all types of accreditation are of equal merit. Accreditation from a bad source can be worse than no accreditation at all. When determining your school's credentials, check to see if the accrediting agency the school boasts of is approved by the NEA (National Educational Association). The NEA is a professional employee organization committed to advancing the cause of public education; the NEA is accepted as having the final say on determining those accrediting boards counted as legitimate. In addition, if you are studying such traditional academic subjects as math, history or English, you should make sure that your school is accredited by one of the six regional accreditation agencies which are recognized by the NEA.
Be aware, if you choose a school that isn't accredited, you may find that many businesses won't accept your diploma. Some employers still have reservations about accepting an online degree, especially if the school is not accredited.
