This article presents an expert's insider's view of the current issues and struggles around state adoptions of Web-based instruction. Back in 2001, when "cyber-charters" began capturing headlines in the education press, a betting person might have laid even odds on whether this virtual school thing was a phenomenon that would last. In 2005, the odds have shifted definitively, if recent activity at state legislatures and regional and national policy shops are any indication. This article describes virtual schooling in the United States.