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Six more virtual school providers have been approved by the Virginia Department of Education to contract with public school divisions.
They join the 13 multi-division online providers approved in June.
For the rest of the article, go to Va. approves six virtual school providers
VDOE first began discussions with the Académie de Reims in fall 2010, with several Virginia schools establishing relationships with schools in the French district. Two of the school partnerships were honored by the Fulbright Commission for the 2012 French-American Friendship prize.
The delegation from the Académie de Reims visited potential partners last week, including Lafayette, Woodside High in Newport News and Henrico High in Henrico County.
French is the second largest foreign-language program in Virginia public schools. The language is offered by 108 school divisions and regional programs and also is available statewide through VDOE’s Virtual Virginia online school.
For the rest of the article, go to Virginia Schools Partner with French School District
The Bedford County Board of Education met Tuesday evening in a special called study session to discuss proposed rezoning for elementary grades and certain school board policies.
Virtual schools
In May 2011, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Virtual Public Schools Act, which gives authority to public school systems to establish online schools and allows students to complete all of their primary and secondary education online.
The act also allows private companies to contract with school systems to provide the online classes.
Most notable of these is Union County public schools, which contracted with Virginia-based for-profit firm K12 Inc. to provide a family-friendly learning platform. Officials there estimate 1,100 students signed up to take online classes after the academy launched late last year.
For the rest of the article, go to Home schools draw closer look
IENNA, Va., March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) will host a webinar on Thursday, April 19 presenting ways teachers are using mobile learning to enhance student’s ability to learn any time, everywhere. The webinar will present how teachers are enhancing learning through mobile devices. Mobile learning case studies and instructional design considerations will be presented for K-12 education, as well as showcasing a variety of tools, tips and tricks for developing mobile content and leveraging the opportunities mobile learning provides.
“Mobile learning is an important evolution of a student’s learning experience, allowing flexibility and access to greater digital learning resources at any time and place,” said Susan Patrick, president and CEO of iNACOL. “This webinar will provide examples of how emerging technological innovations support teachers in motivating and reaching students, while using mobile coursework and content.”
For the rest of the article go to iNACOL Announces April 19 “Teacher Talk” Webinar: “Jumpstart Mobile Learning in Your Online and Blended Courses”
The Carroll County school division wants to create a separate school within its system for its virtual program students, a move that, if allowed, would make it the first stand-alone virtual school in Virginia.
The request is scheduled to come before the Virginia Board of Education for a vote in April, about two months before legislation takes effect directing the board to create statewide regulations establishing Standards for Accreditation of public virtual schools with full-time students.
It would essentially create a policy for what Carroll would like to do.
“Establishing our Virginia Virtual Academy Program as a separate school ensures that this academy and the vendor providing online instructional services will be held to the same high level of expectations and accountability as a traditional brick-and-mortar school,” Carroll’s waiver request states.
To create that stand-alone school, division leaders want exemptions from various standards that traditional brick-and-mortar schools must meet, including school facility and safety provisions.
They also want greater flexibility allocating instructional time per subject area so it’s more flexible to an individual student’s mastery of the curriculum.
Virginia L. McLaughlin, chairwoman of the Virginia Board of Education’s School and Division Accountability Committee, said during a meeting this week about Carroll’s request that “we go into this recognizing that it’s certainly uncharted territory for all of us.”
For the rest of the article, go to Carroll County seeks stand-alone virtual school
Supervisors chair Mary Jones stressed the original plan was to revive Blair and find “appropriate” space for Central Office. “The intent was always to bring that middle school back for the students,” she insisted.
Constantino envisions a “STEAM” school focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or potential expansion of the International Baccalaureate program into middle school. He said the new school could also become a “digital academy” for virtual learning that would be used by middle school students during the day and high schoolers or adult learners at night.
No one piped up for building a new school, but some did commend Constantino for being innovative. “It’s not a safe choice,” said Jim Kelly, Jamestown School Board rep.
For the rest of the article, go to 4th middle hung up on $34 million cost
Virginia lawmakers are being asked today to consider legislation (SB 598) that severely restricts students’ access to a high-quality education. This legislation prohibits students from enrolling in an approved virtual school that is offered by a school division other than their own.
In this day and age, the Internet makes geography irrelevant to getting a great education. Virtual learning tears down the greatest barrier to high-quality education — access to a rigorous curriculum taught by effective educators. With virtual learning, all students — particularly those in rural regions or urban centers — can access the same high quality education typically enjoyed by students in affluent suburban neighborhoods. Students who live anywhere can learn anywhere. For many students, the option to attend a virtual school is a lifeline to an education that prepares them for success in college and challenging 21st-century careers.
For the rest of the article, go to Finn: All students could access high-quality education
While the empowerment and expansion of the charter school concept in Mississippi seems a foregone political conclusion in the Mississippi Legislature, the central questions that remain are whether the House will try to limit charter schools in school districts rated “successful” and whether the House will seek to include “virtual” charter schools in the bill they send to conference with the Senate version.
The question of “virtual“ charter schools - private educational institutions offering classes entirely online – have been a lightning rod during the charter school debate. Leading the charge against virtual charter schools has been state Superintendent Tom Burnham and Parents’ Campaign executive director Nancy Loome – both of whom say virtual charters schools have poor performance records.
Drawing particular fire from Loome and others has been K12 Inc. K12 is a publicly-held Herndon, Va., firm that is the largest U.S. operator of taxpayer-funded online schools and that is part-owned by billionaire Michael Milken. In 1990, Milken – at that time known by the pejorative title “junk bond king” – pleaded guilty to six felony counts of securities fraud and served a one-year-and-10-month federal prison sentence. Milken’s connection to K12 Inc. has been roundly flogged during the ongoing charter school debate in this state.
For the rest of the article, go to Will virtual charter schools make the cut?
VIENNA, Va., Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) will host a webinar on Wednesday, February 22 to explore how online learning can support extended learning opportunities and after-school programs in community-based organizations. The webinar, called “Digital Learning in Class and Beyond,” is based on a report by The After School Corporation (TASC). The webinar will describe the report’s findings on how out-of-school programs can use online learning resources to expand educational opportunities. It will highlight examples of after-school programs actively utilizing digital learning to expand learning opportunities for students.
For the rest of the article, go to iNACOL Webinar to Explore Online Learning for Extending Learning Opportunities in the Community
A NYC-based law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit in a federal court in Virginia against K12, Inc., the for-profit virtual school company, claiming that its top officials intentionally misled the public and investors about its quality of the education.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 30, as reported here by the Washington Post.
The claims of fraud at the top levels of the company should be of particular interest here in North Carolina after the company, K12, Inc., (NYSE:LRN) edged its way into a partnership with the Cabarrus County school system to try and tap into state education dollars.
Stock for the virtual school company had been steadily rising (a high of $39.74 was reached last April) since its 2007 emergence on the market, but plummeted after a critical New York Times article late last year, “Online schools fare better on Wall Street than in classrooms.” The Times investigation found that the company pushed to bring in more profits while students were failing and falling far behind their traditional school peers.
K12 stock was trading at $21.63 a share mid-day today.
For the rest of the article, go to Virtual charter school company with NC intentions slapped with class-action lawsuit
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