Another Online School Success Story

Genesis Middlebos fell in love with aircrafts when she attended her first air show at 12 years old. Ever since then, she has preferred to spend most of her time in the sky.

Now a 15-year-old at Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA), she is able to maintain good grades and focus on all things aerospace.

After talking to the air show organizers about how she could get involved, she was invited to visit the local squadron, which eventually turned into a scholarship to attend the cadet program of the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol (CAP).

Read more here. 

North Carolina fourth-grader excels in online school and tennis

Thalia Smith isn’t the typical 10-year-old.

She’s ranked the third-best tennis player in the nation among fourth-graders by the U.S. Tennis Association, the sport’s top governing body for youths and adults. While crisscrossing the country and traveling overseas for tournaments, and practicing up to five hours daily, she’s also excelling as a student at one of North Carolina’s two virtual public schools, where instruction is led completely online.

“It means a lot to me,” said Smith, of her achievements in school and sport, as she prepared for tennis practice Thursday afternoon. “It’s very rare and you can’t really do it just by love, you have to earn it.”

Keep reading here. 

In Wisconsin, 5 schools have begun to offer parents more options for their child's education

St. Katharine Drexel School is entering its first year offering parents a choice under the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program.

There were 163 private nonsectarian and religious schools and school systems that registered with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction by the deadline for the 2017-18 school year through the Wisconsin Parental Choice programs.

Keep reading here. 

Engagement in a Digital Learning Environment

In a world where we are inundated with information, messages and media, successfully capturing students’ attention and keeping them engaged can be challenging. Rich, digital content that is scaffolded and personalized for students can be a solution. This is especially true for students who do not always feel like school is working for them or that they are getting the individual support and feedback they need to be successful. All students can benefit from digital learning environments that have great supports, scaffolds, feedback and embedded active learning strategies.

Check it out here. 

New iNACOL Report Provides Overview of Personalized Learning for Schools, Families and Communities

Schools and districts across the country are seeing the tremendous potential of personalized learning to better educate all students and equip them to thrive in college, career and life. Through case studies, this paper illustrates what personalized learning looks like in practice, provides examples of teachers personalizing learning in their schools and districts, and shares student perspectives on how new instructional designs are meeting their unique needs.

Continue reading here. 

New Secretary of Education is a woman unafraid to say #ITrustParents.

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as the nation's 11th Education secretary Tuesday in a historic vote, ending a tumultuous battle over her nomination.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer expressed a vote of confidence from President Trump in his newest Cabinet secretary despite opponents saying she is unfit and unqualified to serve.

"The president believes strongly that our nation's success depends on education of our students, and Betsy DeVos has devoted nearly three decades of her time and talent to promoting educational opportunity," Spicer said. "She will ensure that every student has access to a good school whether it’s public, private, parochial, charter or any other kind."

Read more about Ms. Devos here.

Online learning gives students options

Aitkin High School students experienced the opportunity to explore and learn through online classes that may not fit into their schedules or be offered at their school.  

The online program that Aitkin High School utilizes is called “Infinity Online.”  Students have the ability to select and take courses that are geared to align with their educational goals and possibly fit into students’ post educational planning. Students Taylor Courier and Marissa Kittleson; counselor, Meredith Sander; Principal Paul Karelis; and Superintendent Bernie Novak attended a forum at Central Lakes College to identify ways to enhance the learning opportunities for all students in the region.

Continue reading here. 

A chance to fight for parental choice

National School Choice Week last week took place amid a time of enormous change in the national political landscape. For many, the election of Donald Trump as president created an environment that is toxic at best and calamitous at worst. As a black man who voted for Hillary Clinton and supports parent choice, I am torn. I am concerned not only about parent choice in the realm of education but also worried about deportations, women’s rights and access to health care, among other things.

Read more here. 

The important role of parents in school success

In what ways are parents the answer and in what ways are parents the problem? I’m talking about the role parents do or could play in getting (or impeding) better schooling outcomes for children, especially kids who are most likely to end up at the sad end of all those achievement gaps.

My formerly idealistic self paid less attention to parents and focused on what schools might do. A lot of that person still survives. But my less idealistic current self — influenced by all the school reforms that haven’t moved the needle — is focused more on parents.

Keep reading here.