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State Superintendent Mike Flanagan touts Holland Public Schools

March 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Flanagan said he was impressed with the foundation of the school that allows students to move at their own pace and take advantage of virtual learning opportunities.

“This allows them to reach incremental goals,” Flanagan said. “They’re going to be successful. We can see it right before our eyes.”

He even shared with the students a little about his own upbringing in New York and how he had to transition to living in the suburbs and didn’t fit in very well with the other students.

VR Tech Director Deb Feenstra was happy to see Flanagan spend time hearing about her students’ experiences and successes at the 173-student school.

“He talks a lot about virtual learning” Feenstra said. “You hear a whole lot about it, but I’m glad he got to come in and see who we are.”

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Guest commentary: With charter package, Michigan will lead nation in school reform

December 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Around the country, innovators are expanding educational options from the school down to the course level. Virtual learning provides the opportunity for students to access advanced and specialized coursework, or personalize their learning based on their interests and needs. Educators can make both advanced placement and remedial coursework available to those students who need and desire them. With this reform package, Michigan’s legislative leaders have the opportunity to leverage the power of technology and give students increased opportunities to learn in their own style, at their own pace, anywhere and anytime.

We can and must update our 19th century model of schooling to meet the challenges of the 21st century. A school system that operates as the equivalent of an 8-track player in an iPod world cannot prepare today’s students for success in college and the global economy. Michigan can lead the way in transforming education and securing future prosperity by embracing these reforms, thereby helping every Michigan student achieve their hopes and dreams.

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Virtual home schooling catches on

September 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

(CNN) – Home schooling is seeing some major changes. This new information age is allowing K-12 students to get public education in their own homes, often tuition-free, by ways of “virtual learning.”

Back to school time for the Henry household means new supplies, but the same classroom.

Elizabeth Henry, 12, and Timothy Henry, 10, are students of Connections Academy, a virtual K-12 public school. It’s an emerging option for parents who want kids schooled at home, but not necessarily home schooling.

“It literally exists without the traditional classroom environment, but it has everything that a traditional school would have,” said Barbara Dreyer, Connections Academy president.

Like a traditional public school, it’s free. Virtual learning has been an option for college students for some time, but younger students seem to thrive with more interaction.

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Virtual way of learning sees success

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Aaron Kaczmarczyk isn’t sure where he’d be today without the Virtual Learning Academy of St. Clair County. He does know he wouldn’t have his high school diploma, nor would he be on the path to fulfill his dream of becoming an auto mechanic.

Aaron is a Virtual Learning Academy success story. There are plenty more like him. The academy opened in the fall of 2009. Since then, 34 students have earned their high school diplomas. Most of them graduated this year. They are looking forward with confidence rather than doubt. At any given time, between 120 and 150 students are enrolled here.

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Snyder’s education wide-ranging reform plan ‘a lofty goal’

April 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A far-ranging proposal to reform education released by Gov. Rick Snyder Wednesday proposes sweeping changes in everything from teacher tenure to virtual learning and lengths of school years to school bullying.

Snyder’s education reform plan had been highly anticipated by local superintendents, who said many of his ideas made sense, including continued focus on student achievement and encouraging more college coursework during the high school years.

“To compete on a world-wide scale, our education system must evolve from one that served us well in the past to one that embraces the challenges and opportunities of the new century,” Snyder said in a written message addressed to the Legislature. “A grammar school education once suited the agrarian age, and a high-school education suited the assembly line age. A high-quality post-secondary education is needed for the technology age.”

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Editorial: Student performance won’t soar until schools are run efficiently and for the children

April 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Move beyond the traditional K-12 model. In his State of the State address, Snyder suggested the state move toward a “P-20″ lifelong learning approach, rather than a traditional K-12 view of education. It’s one of the reasons he wants to use the School Aid Fund, currently enjoying a surplus, to fund both pre-school programs and community colleges.

But to do that, more efficient educational approaches must be adopted. For example, with more options in online and virtual learning, schools can share top-notch teachers with other districts and save money at the same time.

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Online commentary: Virtual learning works for many students

April 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The two most significant factors contributing to student achievement are related to socio-economic status and teacher quality. In large part, these are determined by factors outside of an individual student’s control. Fortunately, virtual learning, a phenomenon that’s rapidly expanding, can break down these age-old barriers.

Virtual learning is a new method of delivering instruction to students. Lessons are provided by teachers working remotely through the Internet, by specially designed software or by a combination of both. Some courses don’t require daily attendance in a brick-and-mortar building, while others supplement a regular class schedule.

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Study: More Students Opt for Online Learning

February 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

VanBeek said his review of national research and evidence from other states showed that students perform as well or better in virtual learning environments and that virtual learning can reduce education costs.

“Virtual learning may not be right for everyone,” Van Beek said in a press release announcing the study and accompanying video. “Still, I would estimate there are more than 20,000 course enrollments in online K-12 programs offered through Michigan Virtual School, Michigan’s virtual charter schools and dozens of single- and multi-district programs, including GenNET, a major initiative of the Genesee Intermediate School District.”

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Brooke Butler first graduate of Virtual Sight

January 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Late last month, Olivet’s Brooke Butler, 18, became the first graduate of The Virtual Sight, a Berrien Springs Public Schools virtual learning program hosted by Summit Pointe in downtown Battle Creek.

Butler said she didn’t think she could finish traditional high school while caring for her daughter, little Lovella, who is now 11 months old. So Butler instead enrolled with The Virtual Sight.

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Bloomfield Hills meeting to consider one high school plan tonight

November 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The “Best Practices in Educational Concepts” workshop will feature a panel of speakers including, Stephen Heppell, who pioneered collaborative virtual learning spaces and redefined the scope of virtual learning; CeCe Krill, the former associate superintendent of Instruction for Fairfax County Va., the nation’s 12th largest school system and a progressive center for K-12 education; Bob Pearlman, a key leader in the design, development, and implementation of 21st Century Secondary Schools and a pioneer in designing new schools; and architects Randy Fielding and Prakash Nair, who specialize in educational design to improve student learning.

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