Are virtual schools the new home school in the US?

Study International | August 08, 2019

Virtual schools are becoming increasingly popular. These accredited online schools allow students to receive a primary or secondary-level education anywhere at any time, so long as they have access to an internet connection and computer. These institutions are fast becoming the new home school – where learners are educated from home, either by a parent or special home tutor, the preferred alternative to attending a typical school before technology became so integrated into our daily lives. More and more parents are choosing to keep their kids at home to attend school online. According to eLearning Inside, “Stanly County Schools, a district roughly an hour outside of Charlotte, N.C., is in a unique situation. According to the Stanly News & Press, overall enrollment is down 12.5% over the past decade, while the homeschool population has grown by 112%. “In a district with 8,226 students, an estimated 1,186 other kids are learning at home. That’s nearly 15%. To help with this surge, the district has developed Stanly County Virtual Education (SCoVE). The virtual learning center allows students to take remote online high school courses as needed throughout their K-12 years.

Spotlight

Last year, the assembly of the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization agreed to set an aspirational goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, reinforcing targets and commitments made already by both industry and individual states for the sector. While net zero provides a common goal for aviation, it comes with a recognition that this sector is likely to be one of the hardest to abate. Most stakeholders agree that meeting this challenge will require a broad approach, encompassing both operational efficiencies and changing the ways we fuel flight.

Spotlight

Last year, the assembly of the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization agreed to set an aspirational goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, reinforcing targets and commitments made already by both industry and individual states for the sector. While net zero provides a common goal for aviation, it comes with a recognition that this sector is likely to be one of the hardest to abate. Most stakeholders agree that meeting this challenge will require a broad approach, encompassing both operational efficiencies and changing the ways we fuel flight.

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Talent Development

Age of Learning Launches Homeschool+ Comprehensive Learning Solution for Homeschool Families

Businesswire | August 21, 2023

Age of Learning, leading education technology innovator and creator of the widely popular ABCmouse® Early Learning Academy, today announced the launch of Homeschool+™, a new program that provides home educators with resources and tools to guide their child’s education and inspire a lifelong love of learning. Developed for children ages 4-8, Homeschool+ offers a comprehensive curriculum, adaptive math and reading learning programs, and robust home educator tools for planning lessons and tracking progress, customizable to meet each family’s unique homeschooling needs. The Homeschool+ curriculum features Age of Learning’s research-validated digital learning solutions My Math Academy®, and My Reading Academy™. Based on well-established principles of learning science research, these programs enable young children to master essential math concepts and build foundational literacy skills. They help accelerate learning by identifying each child’s strengths and growth opportunities, then dynamically adapting the selection and sequence of learning experiences to meet each child’s needs. In addition to math and reading, Homeschool+ offers art, science, social studies, language arts, music, and Spanish. These additional courses, all designed by education experts, feature content from ABCmouse’s award-winning, research-validated curriculum, augmented by lesson plans that take full advantage of the learning opportunities of the home environment. Home educators can select from a broad variety of lessons to address their children’s interests, each one offering online and offline learning activities. “Age of Learning spent more than a decade developing research-based programs that engage children and accelerate learning,” said Cailin Sandvig, Vice President of Marketing, Homeschool Division, Age of Learning. “Designing a platform that meets the specific needs of home educators is an important next step in addressing the educational needs of all children. Homeschool+ brings together Age of Learning’s proven programs to deliver effective and engaging homeschool experiences for every family.” In addition to its curriculum, Homeschool+ supports home educators with tools that enable them to effectively manage their child's learning journey while providing insights into their child's progress. This includes a Lesson Planner that gives educators complete control of their child’s program, with options to create custom lessons to complement their child's interests and needs, to reassign incomplete lessons, and to repeat lessons for extra review. Homeschool+ also features a Progress Tracker with individualized dashboards that include detailed information about each student’s progress. The math and reading dashboards provide insights on each child's progress, including time spent, skill mastery, and areas of struggle. The Arts, Sciences & General Knowledge Dashboard tracks lesson progress and completed activities. Prior to release, Homeschool+ was extensively tested with veteran homeschooling families, earning very positive reviews. As one parent put it, “It was just so simple. It didn't just fit in our day, it made our day easier. And there is so much there that he's learning that I want to teach him.” About Age of Learning Age of Learningis the leading education technology innovator, creating engaging and effective learning resources to help children build a strong foundation for academic success and a lifelong love of learning. The company’s research-based digital education programs have been developed by an experienced team of education experts and have proven efficacy in increasing children’s learning gains. Age of Learning’s flagship product, ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy, is an award-winning comprehensive curriculum for children. The company’s school solutions programs include My Math Academy®, an adaptive, personalized program proven to significantly accelerate math learning outcomes, and My Reading Academy™, an adaptive program designed to help young learners build a foundation for reading comprehension and literacy and become fluent readers. With over 11 billion learning activities completed by more than 50 million children worldwide, Age of Learning is a global leader in efforts to advance equity, access, and opportunity for all children.

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Online Education

ACE Partners with the Center for Financial Training, Expands Opportunities for Business Professional Development

PRnewswire | June 29, 2023

Creating more education opportunities for business professionals, American College of EducationⓇ (ACE) has partnered with the Center for Financial Training (CFT). The collaboration allows CFT course completers to apply earned credits to an ACE bachelor's-completion degree at a 3% tuition reduction. It also provides professional and career advancement opportunities to an increasing population of adult learners with college credit but no degree. CFT provides industry-related education and training for bank and credit union employees for career advancement and professional development. Taught by experienced subject matter experts, completers learn the latest trends in finance from entry-level skills to management enhancement. "At ACE, we aim to expand opportunities for business leaders to upskill and advance their careers through education," ACE President and CEO Geordie Hyland said. "CFT has the same mission, and we're excited to combine our resources to contribute to today's evolving business landscape." "Partnering with ACE provides us a way to extend our coursework into degree programs for finance professionals," Vice President of CFT Renee Few added. "Working in finance requires continued educational opportunities and creating a link for our course completers to go even further with their development is at the heart of what we do." About American College of Education American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, 100% online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. ACE is ranked #2 on Newsweek's 2023 top online colleges list. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 80 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master's or bachelor's degree, along with micro-credentials and graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation. About Center for Financial Training The Center for Financial Training (CFT) is an industry-supported adult education and training nonprofit organization that has been providing continuing education courses and professional development programs for members of the financial industry since 1901. CFT courses are designed for multiple experience levels and areas of responsibility, and offer students up-to-date, practical, industry-related information, and skills. The skills help employees work smarter and better, improving their on-the-job performance and productivity.

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Continuing Education

Littera Education Now Offers the Delta Math RtI Program to Help Michigan Students Complete Unfinished Learning in Math

Businesswire | August 03, 2023

While Michigan test scores declined sharply during the pandemic, the new MI Kids Back on Track program is working to tackle unfinished learning by providing $150 million for individualized tutoring and academic support. To help Michigan schools and districts get students on track in math, Littera Education has partnered with Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (ISD), the developers of the Delta Math RtI Program, to integrate the evidence-based Response to Intervention (RtI) curriculum with high-impact tutoring delivered through the Littera Tutoring Management System (TMS). “Now more than ever, districts need proven ways to support students who have fallen behind in math,” said Justin Serrano, CEO and co-founder of Littera. “We’re excited to welcome the Delta Math RtI Program to Littera’s growing portfolio of curriculum partners.” The Delta Math RtI Program focuses on high priority readiness standards from first grade through Algebra II to prepare students for success with grade-level content. Using the Littera TMS, Littera virtual tutors can deliver the Delta Math curriculum to students in 1:1 or small group tutoring sessions. As tutors log feedback in the Littera TMS, districts can monitor student progress in real-time. “Delta Math resources have been used with success since 2009,” said Mike Klavon, who leads the development and implementation of Delta Math for the Ottawa Area ISD. “Through our partnership with Littera, I look forward to many more students benefiting from these materials in tutoring sessions with experienced, highly-trained professionals." About Littera We believe every child deserves the care and attention of a great tutor. Littera customizes high-impact tutoring for K-12 schools and districts by supporting any student, subject, schedule or staffing model. With our virtual tutors, curriculum partners, and the Littera Tutoring Management System, schools can reach every learner with individualized support. About Delta Math The Delta Math RtI Program, developed by the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District with support from Alt+Shift, integrates accelerated learning strategies within an MTSS framework to help students complete unfinished learning in kindergarten through Algebra II.

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