A Kansas Online School Helps Traditional School

Centre’s Kansas Online Learning Program, now is in its seventh year, has benefited the district’s traditional classes, coordinator Vickie Jirak told the Centre school board Monday.

“When I went through the numbers, I was on a natural high,” she said. “Virtual has paid for itself and helped our brick and mortar.”

In the program’s first five years, the district received $5,000 from the state for each student enrolled on Sept. 20. Enrollment ranged from 23.7 in 2010-’11 to 282.8 in 2014-’15.

More details here. 

National School Choice Week Will Feature Planned Events Nationwide

(UNDATED) - As 2017 promises to bring new growth to educational opportunity around the country, tens of millions of parents, teachers, students, citizens and community leaders are planning celebrations during National School Choice Week.

Locally St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School and the Bedford Chamber of Commerce are participating.

21,392 independently-planned events will take place from January 22-28 including pep rallies, science fairs, school tours, policy forums, and rallies in more than 25 state capitals. These celebrations will be attended by tens of millions of Americans in all 50 states over just seven days.

Read more here. 

Racine Unified School District School Choice deadline nears

RACINE — The deadline for those who would like to sign up for the Racine Unified School District School Choice program is Sunday, Jan. 15. Current and new students to the Racine Unified School District can apply for school choice.

School Choice an opportunity to apply for enrollment into one of Racine Unified School District’s magnet, charter or alternative schools or a school that is not your boundary school.

Families can apply for School Choice online at www.rusd.org/district/enrollment or visit the Racine Unified School District Welcome Center, 3109 Mount Pleasant St., from 7:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Current Racine Unified School District families will be required to log on to the Parent Portal. Those who do not have an Infinite Campus access code (GUID) may visit any Racine Unified School District school to pick it up.

Seven Apps for Working with Special Needs Students

As a special needs teacher, you face new specific challenges with every fresh student. Whether you work in an inclusive classroom or in specialized groups, each child is unlike any other. They have different needs, different behavioral patterns, different challenges and different talents. That is why employing apps and other digital tools for personalizing your approach is very beneficial. Apps can help you customize your curriculum to the needs of your students without making the process time-consuming and overwhelming. Here, I highlight 7 apps that can help with personalizing learning for special needs students.

Read more here.

A new Wisconsin poll finds overwhelming support for School Choice

MADISON, Wis. — A new poll by the state’s largest business advocate finds Wisconsinites are more optimistic about the economy than they were this time last year.

The Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Survey of Voter Attitudes shows that 35 percent respondents believe the Badger State economy will improve in 2017 while 42 percent believe it will stay about the same. Last year, 22 percent of respondents expected the economy to improve and 56 percent predicted it would stay the same.

Click here to see what the poll said about school choice.

School choice changes for non-traditional student-athletes in Florida

School choice isn’t just for traditional student-athletes anymore.

Manatee County made alterations, based on Florida Statute 1006.15, that details the requirements for students wishing to participate in extracurricular student activities, including sports. Those changes mean non-traditional students such as home-schooled, full-time Florida Virtual School (FLVS) and charter school students can school choice next year.

In the past, those student-athletes could only play athletics at the school they were zoned for, but that will change for the 2017-18 school year, Manatee County athletic director Jason Montgomery said in an email release.

Keep reading here. 

 

Restoring Educational Choice Means Ditching The Department Of Education’s Burdensome Regulations

For the Feds in the U.S. Education Department, ‘flexibility’ means there’s nothing left to lose.

Flexibility is a quality Olympic gymnasts possess. When federal bureaucrats claim they are being flexible in administering massive programs of aid to elementary and secondary education, spectators would be wise to hold their chants of “USA! USA! USA!”

Continue reading here. 

In Two Weeks: National School Choice Week Will Feature 21,392 Independently-Planned Events Nationwide, Draw Tens of Millions

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--As 2017 promises to bring new growth to educational opportunity around the country, tens of millions of parents, teachers, students, citizens and community leaders are planning celebrations during National School Choice Week.

 

21,392 independently-planned events will take place from January 22-28 including pep rallies, science fairs, school tours, policy forums, and rallies in more than 25 state capitals. These celebrations will be attended by tens of millions of Americans in all 50 states over just seven days.


Check out more on this here. 

School choice on center stage in a handful of states in 2017

The American Federation for Children says the key states to watch for school choice legislation in 2017 are Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and New Hampshire.

Texas could also be a candidate, Rayanne Matlock of Americans for Tax Reform writes in the Washington Examiner, quoting Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as saying he “would be interested in signing the most pro-school choice law that arrives on my desk.”

Click here for more.

12-year-old skater from Massachusetts pursues dream in virtual school

SHREWSBURY - When you discover your passion at an early age, making the time to follow your dream can be a challenge.

But for Isabella Ramirez of Shrewsbury, who uncovered a love for ice skating early in life, online school has been the secret to helping her create space in her life for a rigorous practice schedule while keeping up with her education.

A typical day involves waking up amid the din of a busy house, with two older brothers still living at home, a working mother and father, and a protective pup under one roof. Classes begin, through her trusty laptop, on her own schedule and like many kids attending TECCA (Connections Academy), she chooses to get the math and science classes over early.

Continue reading here.