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Converting Schools: Charter Effect on District Schools

April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

School choice provides opportunities for developing the potential that lies within the young leaders of tomorrow. The notion of school choice encompasses a wide variety of school models, including traditional public schools, magnet schools, private schools, virtual schools, home school and charter schools. The Lake Wales community has found favor and success with charter schools serving as a catalyst for the improvement of our public school system.

The competition inspired by the infusion of charter schools within the Lake Wales community has served to not only improve the quality of public education but also to inspire all education agencies in the community to do a better job.

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Former FL Gov. Jeb Bush: Fully uanleashed, virtual education can transform

April 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The explosion of digital technology over the past few decades has redefined the way we live, work and play. Imagine if its potential were fully unleashed in schools.

More than 14 years ago, Florida recognized the value of using technology to bring quality, customized education and established the nation’s first online school. The Sunshine State pioneered the digital-learning movement and has made strides using these valuable new tools to provide students with a personalized high-quality education. Currently, Florida Virtual School serves more than 150,000 full- and part-time students, and last year, lawmakers passed a law allowing virtual charter schools.

But implementing technology into public education can’t end there. As digital tools continue to advance, Florida has even more opportunities to enhance student learning, extend the reach of great teachers and promote accountability. We need to transform current education models and use available technology to maximize our teachers’ skills and capitalize on our students’ interests and capabilities.

Digital learning can transform education from a factory-style system into a personalized, achievement-based system. Its three basic components emphasize how these revolutionary tools can bring education into the digital age where learning is customized to prepare every student with the knowledge and skills to succeed in college and challenging careers.

First, digital learning transforms the delivery system. Digital learning does not change what students learn; it changes how they learn. Content remains the same, but how the material is presented, the pace at which students advance, and how understanding is assessed changes. Through today’s innovative tools, we can use interactive and adaptive software to capture student learning data in real-time, equipping teachers to immediately identify where students are excelling and struggling.

For the rest of the article, go to Former FL Gov. Jeb Bush: Fully uanleashed, virtual education can transform

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Bills to revamp high school sports spark debate

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Over the years, the FHSAA has drawn the ire of some schools for its investigations into recruiting, which is disallowed. Some schools have also accused the FHSAA of being overly punitive to schools when the rules are broken.

Four years ago, a handful of small, independent schools — many of which had been found guilty of violating FHSAA rules — decided to form the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association. But the SIAA has never been recognized by state law, and its 11 member schools can compete only against other member schools.

The proposal in the Senate would add the SIAA to the state law on high school athletics — and give all private, charter and virtual schools in Florida the option to join. It would also allow for inter-league play.

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Morris Chamber dinner: Jeb Bush to share school reform ideas

January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Data-driven accountability for schools, including grading schools on a scale of A-F based solely on annual standardized test scores in elementary and middle school and a combination of data in high school.

School choice for families, including tax credit scholarships, prekindergarten vouchers, scholarships for students with disabilities, charter schools and virtual schools.

Funding for achievement, including performance bonuses for teachers and consolidation of funding to target failing schools.

The dinner is the chamber’s largest annual event. Member tickets are $145, nonmembers $175, and member tables of 10 are $1,450.

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School choice deadline nears

January 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

MANATEE – Manatee County parents have until Feb. 3 to participate in school choice, an option that already is appealing to more than 30 percent of the district’s 45,000 students.

With magnet programs at 10 elementary and middle schools, 20 career academies among the county’s six high schools, and increased choices among charter schools, dual enrollment and virtual schools, district officials expect even more families to exercise their right of choice this coming year.

The Feb. 3 deadline is only for families participating in open enrollment, which allows parents to send their children to a school other than their assigned “go-to” school based on geography.

“It’s very important to Manatee County to empower families with choice,” says School Board Chair Harry Kinnan. “We’ve made marvelous strides with it.”

They also expect the myriad choices may be overwhelming to some parents.

“There really is a chance that parents may get a little confused because you’ve got so many magnet schools, schools operated by the school board, and charter schools that run more independently,” says Danny Lundeen, the district’s supervisor of student demographics, projections and assignment.

“The opportunities out there have expanded so greatly, I could see there could be some opportunity for confusion.”

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Pasco school district mulls a charter school

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

State law allows school districts to start a charter school from scratch or convert an existing school into a charter school. Fiorentino said it’s too early in the planning stages for the district to decide which direction it would take.

A charter school is just one of the options the district is exploring to provide more choices for parents at a time when traditional public schools are drawing increasing competition from charter schools, private schools and virtual schools.

The school district also is considering creating magnet programs that would allow some elementary schools to focus on a specific academic area. Students zoned for other schools then could apply to attend.

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How Classrooms Online Work

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Where it’s offered

Twenty-seven states and Washington, D.C., offer full-time virtual schooling. Florida Virtual School became the first state-funded online school in 1996.

What children learn

There is no nationwide standardized curriculum for virtual schools, and core subjects and electives vary from state to state. “It’s streaming classes in real time, live chats with teachers, group projects,” says Jeff Kwitowski, spokesman for k12, a network of online school programs serving more than 80,000 students nationwide.

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Two Families, Two Takes on Virtual Schooling

December 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With all the talk about online education lately, it’s clear that the vision evoked by the words “home schooling” is changing. The image of Mom and kids sitting at the kitchen table has given way to a child logging onto a virtual class from the home office.

The number of students in kindergarten through 12th grade enrolled in virtual schools nationwide has grown to 225,000 from 50,000 a decade ago—and 30% year over year since 2001, says Susan Patrick, chief executive of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, a nonprofit advocacy group. Some parents choose virtual schooling to accommodate a heavy schedule of extracurricular classes or interests; others feel their children’s needs are better served outside a traditional classroom. Here are two families’ experiences.

Elana Whitehead, a stay-at-home mother in Cape Canaveral, Fla., enrolled her fourth- and sixth-grade boys in Brevard Virtual Instruction Program, the virtual arm of the Brevard County public school system, last year. “The kids’ friends were doing it and they were curious,” she says.

The Whiteheads received a box of books in August, and were given weekly course work. Adam, age 10, and Noah, 12, would log on for each subject. BVIP would present a slideshow about the day’s lesson, then direct them to read a chapter in a textbook and complete some worksheets. They would log back on later to do an assessment.

“Adam was online for less than an hour each day,” says Ms. Whitehead, “but Noah had more work online than offline.” No credentials were required for Ms. Whitehead, who sat with her sons as they logged hours playing with snap circuits, taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and sitting in a virtual classroom with 60 other students.

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Charter school Q&A

December 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Q: What is a charter school?

A charter school is an independent school operating under a “charter,” or contract, usually with the local school district.

Q: Who can start a charter school, and how are the schools funded?

Nonprofit groups, colleges and municipalities can create their own charter schools, which must be approved by the local school board. School districts then provide tax dollars to charter schools on a per-student basis, making up the bulk of their revenue. Unlike traditional school districts, charter schools cannot levy taxes.

Q: What is next for charter schools?

This year, Florida school districts received almost 400 applications for new charter schools. Miami-Dade alone received 93 applications. Some are applications for virtual charter schools, which are allowed after the most recent legislative session. There are also a handful of applications for charter colleges, a new concept that could take off in South Florida.

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Manatee School officials explain school choices during town hall meeting

December 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

BRADENTON — Questions surrounding school choice, including charter and virtual schools, were answered during the Manatee school district’s third annual town hall meeting Thursday night at Manatee High School’s Davis Theater.

The meeting’s theme: the changing face of education.

A panel of five familiar faces included Superintendent Tim McGonegal, Manatee Education Association President Pat Barber, Associate Director of Innovative Programs and Parental Options Verdya Bradley, Fund Education Now’s Manatee County President Christine Sket and State Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton.

“We want parents to have choices. Parents vote with their feet. I heard that ten times today,” McGonegal said. “We’re looking at all our progress. We’re comparing our programs to charter programs. We want to do better.”

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