Jennifer Ward said she is considering taking her sixth-grader out of the classroom, and going online.

“I guess the amount of bullying that is out there, it just reminds us of why home-schooling would be an option,” Ward said. “It’s also that one-to-one ratio. There is nothing better than having that one-on-one.”
Home-schooling certainly isn’t a new concept. Previously, home-schooling has been sold based on its education benefits, not the social interaction. Action 7 News has profiled a rash of bullying cases over the past year that have changed the educational landscape.

For the rest of the article, go to Online classroom targets bullied students as clients

But there’s no need for Carlsbad High School students to sign up, officials said, because the district already offers a virtual high school.

Kelly Barta, Carlsbad Municipal Schools director of secondary instruction, said the school district implemented its virtual high school as a pilot program this year and opened it to a handful of students. The 2012-13 school year will allow more students to participate.

Unlike Carlsbad’s virtual school, the N.M. Virtual Academy will offer individualized programs to students in grades six through 11 next year. The school will expand to offer 12th grade the following year.

“Our virtual education program allows our students to walk across the stage with the graduating class to receive their diploma. They will continue to be Carlsbad High School students,” Barta said.

“Farmington is using the K-12 online program. Our virtual program is the E20-20, an online curriculum that coincides and goes along with our classroom teachers’ instruction. We did not fully implement the virtual high school this year because we wanted to try it out and see how it goes.”

Barta said the pilot program was implemented by the school district to keep students

in school and increase the district’s graduation rate.
“We want to become a 21st century school system to educate and support our 21st century students,” Barta said.

For the rest of the article, go to  ’Virtual’ high school part of CHS curriculum

Students who reside anywhere in the state are eligible to enroll in this new public school.

Using innovative technology, NMVA provides students access to multiple core and elective courses, assessments and instruction from state-certified teachers – all without geographic barriers. NMVA offers flexible and personalized learning programs that work for all types of learners.

The school will also host a learning center in Farmington combining online and face-to-face instruction. The school’s blended learning center will feature computer labs and onsite teacher instruction and support, providing students additional enrichment and remediation opportunities.

For the rest of the article, go to New Mexico Virtual Academy Goes Online Next School Year

For the rest of the article, go to Traditional School vs. Virtual School

6. Online learning growth accelerates. In 2011, a growing number of families decided to take advantage of the online learning options now available for K-12 students across the country. According to Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning, there are now 30 states with full-time online learning schools, open to students from districts across the state. Forty states offer state-run virtual schools, online charter schools are proliferating, and many more families are taking advantage of private online learning providers. Across the country, students are taking millions of courses online, customizing their educational experiences.

For the rest of the article, go to Morning Bell: Top 10 Education Stories of 2011

That’s what SODA’s Principal Michael Ogas stresses most about Valencia County’s only state authorized charter school in Los Lunas.

The school, which is home to 15 teachers, 280 students and six computer labs, utilizes a cutting-edge software, or “courseware” program, called Education2020, which provides students with a virtual classroom setting on their computers that teaches them their core classes at their own pace.

The courseware creates a one-on-one experience for students, and since work is completed at a student’s own pace, a student is able to advance to the next grade level if they are able, as well as work on their assignments at home.

And of course, in addition to E2020, each class has a teacher to instruct and help students in person. The courseware is not only aligned to state standards, but national standards as well, meaning SODA students are being educated at a national academic level.

For the rest of the article, go to School of Dreams teaches students more than the basics

The New Mexico Virtual Academy went before the board and about 20 members of the public in an attempt to persuade the community that the academy would offer a new alternative within public school education. It would be the first virtual charter school in the state if approved.

“It’s not for every kid,” said Mary Gifford, senior vice president of K12 Inc., the company which would oversee curricula for the academy.

Though aimed primarily toward local students who do not fit into the traditional public school system, it would cater statewide to students with special needs; students who have fallen behind in school; students who want to move at a faster pace; or students looking to finish their high school education without having to physically return., said academy board member Larry Palmer.

Students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade could enroll. Local students would be the primary demographic, though students could enroll statewide.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual school is a cloudy vision.

Today he works as a consultant and expert witness, and serves as instructor for ABA e-learning courses and has been a frequent speaker in ABA’s Bank Director Telephone Briefing series. You can hear free audio interviews with Ed about workouts here.

For the rest of the article, go to Reintroducing the trustworthy banker

Academic outcomes indicate the state’s traditional schooling system is not up to the task. New Mexico ranks 49th in fourth-grade reading proficiency; 48th in eighth-grade math proficiency; and 50th in graduation rates. Poor funding does not explain such poor performance.

Per-pupil education spending has increased 54 percent faster than the rate of inflation since 1991-92. With a $400 million budget deficit, such performance is no longer tenable — and state policymakers know it.

For the rest of thr article, go to Their View: Fulfilling promise, avoiding pitfalls, of virtual learning in New Mexico

Academic outcomes indicate the state’s traditional schooling system is not up to the task. New Mexico ranks 49th in fourth-grade reading proficiency; 48th in eighth-grade math proficiency; and 50th in graduation rates. Poor funding does not explain such poor performance. Per-pupil education spending has increased 54 percent faster than the rate of inflation since 1991-92. With a $400 million budget deficit, such performance is no longer tenable – and state policymakers know it.

For the rest of the article, go to We Can Be Leaders in E-Learning.