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Changes needed to stave off deficits, West Muskingum superintendent says

April 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

ZANESVILLE — The West Muskingum Local School District is facing budget deficits in each of the next five years because of rising costs and shrinking state funding and enrollments.

With levies not an option after six consecutive failures at the ballot box, officials are considering several proposed strategies — from redistricting students to make better use of staff and classroom space to rolling out a virtual school to keep more students in the district.

Parents of students and other district residents are being asked to weigh in on the proposals during the next month, before the school board potentially takes a vote on the changes.

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Iowa City School District set to review requests for online school enrollment

April 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“When people think of virtual schools, there is this perception of [students] sitting in front of a computer with no interaction,” she said. “Connection schools are real communities. At virtual schools, the computer is just a tool for learning.”

And it’s a real school experience, she said, with teachers, a high-quality curriculum, clubs, and activities.

“Virtual education is a very appealing and interesting option for all types of students,” Bazin said noting the flexibility it brings is important.

The type of student varies by need, ranging from athletes to the medically fragile to rural students, she said.

Iowa City residents Maria Valentine and her husband have applied to put their 8-year-old son, Josiah, into the Iowa Connections Academy.

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Minnesota Virtual Academy holds Chaska talent show

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Minnesota Virtual Academy (MNVA) held the school’s annual social event, “MNVA’s Got Talent” at the Chaska Community Center on March 27.

The MNVA is a tuition-free online public school associated with Houston, Minn. public schools. Minnesota Virtual Academy is the largest online K-12 school in Minnesota and has delivered more than 75,000 courses to students state-wide since its inception in 2002, according to an MNVA press release.

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Online Learning Advocates See Virtual Schooling as an Integral Component to Education Reform

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Students in Tennessee could click their way through more courses, if a Capitol Hill push to embrace online classes for K-12 education gains traction.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would bring requirements such as teacher-student ratios, which public schools that have traditional buildings and classrooms already adhere to, to bear for their online counterparts. That bill has not yet made it to either chamber of the Legislature for a floor vote.

Advocates this week laid out their position that while virtual schooling is edgy and perhaps intimidating to some, it is a potent tool for keeping students engaged and in school.

Virtual schools do the most to innovate education and level the playing field for kids everywhere, compared to other areas of technological reform in education, said Susan Patrick, president & CEO of the nonprofit International Association for K-12 Online Learning and a former director of educational technology for the U.S. Department of Education. Patrick was speaking at a forum at the Sheraton Wednesday hosted by the Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee, a free-market think tank.

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Student Interview: Penn Foster High School

March 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

High School Testimonials

“I owe Penn Foster a tremendous amount of gratitude and highly recommend their school to anyone looking to accomplish the same goal that I accomplished. Everyone who works at Penn Foster is great. They encouraged me the entire time.”

M. Kelly

Penn Foster High School Graduate

“”Penn Foster is a very easy way to learn material and it’s nice to work at your own pace. I am very thankful that I chose Penn Foster for my educational needs. I was accepted into College!”

D. Young

Penn Foster High School Graduate

“Penn Foster High School is a great program. The flexibility they offer is great if you have a busy schedule, children, and work full time. I just finished my high school program and I’m now looking forward to going on to college. Penn Foster also has very nice student services.”

A. Martin

Penn Foster High School Graduate

  [Read more...]

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Online program will help guide Okla. students through Algebra

February 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

An online pilot program to help eighth- through 10th-graders who are struggling with Algebra I is being launched at 16 high schools and 23 middle schools throughout Oklahoma.

About 10,000 students from low-performing schools are participating in the first year of the program, which is free to their school districts, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

“We wanted to reach students who are most struggling in Algebra I as they prepare to take end-of-instruction tests—one of the requirements for Achieving Classroom Excellence,” said state Superintendent Janet Barresi.

Teacher training is conducted by webinar and will continue through Feb. 8. Training is also free to participating districts.

“This is one of the state department’s efforts to assist low-achieving schools by providing additional resources to teachers and students,” Barresi said.

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“How to start a successful virtual learning program?

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Virtual learning can help districts address many needs, such as filling a gap between courses a school offers and courses students might want to take but aren’t currently offered—and a new report offers insights on starting a virtual learning program from a number of seasoned experts.

Statistics indicate that more than 1.5 million students attended fully online or blended learning programs during the 2009-10 school year, and more school districts are turning to online instruction for its expanded curriculum offerings, flexibility, and cost-saving potential. Some experts predict that roughly half of high school courses will be offered online by 2019.

In “How to Launch District Virtual Learning,” a new report from the Blackboard Institute, 17 virtual learning experts agreed that getting buy-in from teachers, administrators, parents, and the community is absolutely essential to success.

The report’s authors interviewed a panel of 17 virtual learning experts, all of whom have led online instruction initiatives. Those experts agreed on seven important questions that schools and districts must answer before initiating or expanding a virtual learning program. The experts split into three categories, although most shared expertise beyond those categories: blended learning, course expansion, and professional development.

Those seven questions are:

  • What challenge are we trying to address?
  • Who are our champions?
  • What is our messaging?
  • How are we going to pay for it?
  • How do we get teachers on board?
  • How are we going to create and deliver the courses?
  • How will we measure success?

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