This August a few hundred students in the Elk Grove Unified School District will have their school year delivered to their doorstep in a giant UPS box. The K-12 students will be part of the district's first-ever virtual school. The box will contain grade-specific supplies – books, globes, maps … [Read more...]
Online courses can reduce the costly sting of college
February 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Inessa Volkonidina had taken precalculus once and dropped it. She needed to take it again, and quickly, to fulfill a graduation requirement at Long Island University. She went online and found a company with an odd name, StraighterLine, that offered the course on even odder terms: $99 a … [Read more...]
Student overcomes adversity with Virtual School
February 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Daniel Contreras, a senior at Dekaney High School, started losing his sight at age 15 due to congenital glaucoma. By the time he was 17 he had totally lost his eyesight, fallen behind on his classes and wasn’t given much hope for graduating on time with his classmates. He even considered dropping … [Read more...]
As online classes boom, questions of rigor arise
February 20, 2010 By 1 Comment
A fast-growing number of Minnesota K-12 students are migrating from the classroom to a home computer, in what some experts say is the vanguard of an online education revolution that's altering how and where many students learn. Enrollment in full- and part-time public online programs has nearly … [Read more...]
Virtual school works for local family
February 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
It's hard to believe the school year is halfway finished. My fifth-grade daughter has accomplished so much already and looks forward to what lies ahead. I take great pride in being involved in my child's education. I proofread my daughter's book reports, help her study for tests and read aloud with … [Read more...]
Cameco gives $2M to virtual school
February 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
When Edward Benoanie first signed up to take math and science courses through Credenda Virtual High School, he wasn't sure how his studies through the pilot program would go. "I was basically the guinea pig," he said. "Everything was new to them and it was new to me, too." It turns out Benoanie's … [Read more...]
Teen singer from Plum wins national Miley Cyrus talent contest
January 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Amy Colalella's (very) long and winding musical road has come to a happy ending. Outlasting 8,000 competitors in a year-and-one-half online talent search conducted by the Miley Cyrus fan club organization, the Plum singer-songwriter has emerged victorious in the "Are You A Superstar" contest. She … [Read more...]
NBC Nightly News showcases online high schools
January 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
NBC Nightly News offered a segment on the rise in enrollments in online schools at the K-12 level. The number of students presently enrolled in online programs now stands at two million and that number is growing rapidly. The following video shows the report in its entirety. What has been more … [Read more...]
12-Year-Old Lakeland Actor Will Add His Voice to Macy's Festivities
November 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
You may not know AJ Achinger's name, but there's a good chance you soon will. AJ, at just 12 years old, was selected by Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp to audition for a chance to perform at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. He nailed it, earning one of the 60 spots available from … [Read more...]
Students learn fulltime online
November 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The Highlands County School District has 12 enrolled students who don't have to step on a school campus to learn. They are not homebound students, but the first students in a new fulltime learning option from Florida Virtual School (FLVS). Since it was founded in 1997, Florida Virtual School's … [Read more...]
