From Beloit; For some students, virtual can be best educational fit

BELOIT — Although Beloit Memorial High School wasn’t a good fit for Nathan Brown, virtual school in the School District of Beloit has helped him improve his performance.

His mother Mary Brown was concerned about class sizes at BMHS. Now she’s very pleased with the district’s efforts to guide her son through its virtual school program.

“I’m grateful because the school district has been amazing. They are fully supportive of whatever we need to do,” Mary Brown said.

Nathan, 16, said his biggest problem at BMHS was learning in class. Because of large class sizes and a few unruly students, paying attention was difficult for him.

“It’s hard to pay attention with 30-plus kids. Four to five kids would be loud, obnoxious, and trouble-making and taking away from my learning,” Nathan said.

Keep reading about Nathan here. 

Parents deserve more school choice

Our presidential candidates didn’t talk much about education policy, but voters in 11 states took to the polls on Nov. 8 and decided what type of schools students should be able to attend, how much money schools should get, who should run the schools, and what students in those schools should learn.

Heartsick parents in Massachusetts — where 32,646 kids are currently stuck on charter school waiting lists — are upset at the prospect of being forced to send their children to traditional public schools after voters decided not to lift the cap on the number of charters allowed in the state. In other states across the country, parents are left frustrated and distraught at the hampering effects ballot initiatives will have on their ability to educate their children as they see fit.

Continue reading here.

Destinations Career Academy in McFarland off to a good start

The newest school in McFarland has 71 students who are focusing on career education and exploration. Destinations Career Academy (DCA), a subsidiary of Wisconsin Virtual Academy, opened this fall. This online learning environment allows students to study in one of four career paths. Those students can earn technical and specialty trade credentials along with a high school diploma upon graduating.

Read more here. 

COMMENTARY: Embrace Texas school choice

Texas has always prided itself for its independence and freedom. Our state does things bigger, bolder, and better. So why is it that when it comes to the education of our children — the very future of Texas — we allow thousands of students to be locked into failing schools simply because they live in a certain ZIP code? We need school choice options now for all parents.

Keep reading when you click here. 

GUEST COLUMN / Charter schools: Yes, they offer a life raft to urban children

As we approach Election Day, I've been troubled by some of the discussion around Question 2. My hope is you will vote "yes" for charter schools and share this message with family, friends and coworkers.

I have grown passionate about urban education after my wife Liz taught in Atlanta with Teach For America. I saw how bad a bad education can be, with teachers cheating on standardized tests for their kids and where fifth graders could not read. With all due respect to my wife, it was clear how bad the school was when the parents were fighting to have their kids in her class when she had just six weeks of teacher training.

Continue reading here.

A charter school success story, made possible by chance

Janeé Jones gave birth to her first child nearly 12 years ago, a son named Angelo, at 7 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces, and on the week of his birth, family and friends played “0777” in the Massachusetts State Lottery and won more than $500. 

Last year, as Angelo “Seven” Jones entered the sixth grade, he and his family won a different lottery, which allowed him to transfer this fall from a traditional public school to Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy charter school in Dorchester.

Read more here. 

Virtual School Student Behind World Series Slugger's Wristband Guest of Honor at Ribbon-Cutting

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Campbell Faulkner, the 10-year-old who inspired Chicago Cubs’ slugger Kyle Schwarber to don a green wristband during the World Series, will be the guest of honor as Arizona Virtual Academy (AZVA) and Insight Academy of Arizona’s (ISAZ) celebrate the grand opening of their third blended learning center. Faulkner, a fifth grader at AZVA and resident of Queen Creek, as well as his parents, will be on-hand to speak about Campbell’s friendship with the MLB player and about what online learning has meant in the student’s journey in dealing with a rare mitochondrial disease.

Read more here. 

Why online learning is on the rise for your child

In addition to connecting people through social media platforms, the internet strives to do even more: teach.

True, people find plenty of entertainment, online shopping and social networking opportunities online, but what about learning opportunities? At times, it can be difficult for parents to teach their children without passing on their preexisting learning anxieties. When it comes to the way people learn, the tools of teaching are changing.

Read more here. 

Vouchers 2.0 could be Education Savings Accounts [Wisconsin]

Keep this phrase in mind: Education savings accounts.

It may not be occurring at your kitchen table, but at some tables, people are talking about the future of school choice programs in Wisconsin. And these are, in many cases, important people — thought leaders and political leaders among Republicans and conservatives — who are likely to have strong roles to play when decisions are made as part of the hugely important state budget process next spring.

Keep reading here.