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More time for open enrollment

February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The district had 913 students leave and 213 students enter this school year, a net loss of 700 students. That’s up from a net loss of 592 students last year and 82 students five years ago.

A 2009 survey of families opting to leave the district found that more than 60 percent mentioned “environmental issues” related to safety, drugs, alcohol and bullying in the schools. About 42 percent said the resident school was closer to home, work or daycare and 18 percent made reference to the district’s limited curricular offerings. About 15 percent said their children transferred to a virtual school.

Nerad said the district has made changes to respond to those concerns, such as improved school security, more talented-and-gifted programming, and the expansion of dual language immersion classrooms.

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Waukesha School District’s Virtual School Getting Makeover, New Name

October 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Waukesha School Board’s virtual school, iQ Academy, is getting a makeover for next school year.

The School Board voted Wednesday night to approve a name change, a marketing plan and curriculum modifications, with all changes deemed necessary as the district takes over control of the virtual school from its current partner, KC Distance Learning.

Starting next year, the new name of the virtual school will be Wisconsin Academy of Virtual Education (WAVE), causing one board member to humorously point out that the name follows in the long tradition of education to have a strong acronym.

Most of the discussion by the board about the changes was about the marketing plan for the virtual school, with some board members balking at the $460,000 estimated price tag.

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School board election: Waukee incumbents face 3 challengers

August 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Lyon: I think we should build a second high school. I’m afraid that if we had one large high school, some students would become lost in its enormity. However, because of the advances in education delivery, online classes, etc., I believe our second high school will serve a much different need than our first. I’m hoping it will have a dual purpose as a high school during the day and a DMACC and community education campus in the evening. That’s the kind of creative thinking we need to apply to our planning process for more high school space.

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Report: More students graduating from high school in Wisconsin

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In this time of exponential technology growth and challenging job markets, schools need to continually help students recognize the value of a solid education, said Lomira High School Principal Deb Janke.

“The first objective is always to offer quality instruction and course offerings that are meaningful and relevant to the students and their needs for the future job market,” she said. “Secondly, we are beginning to offer virtual classes to some of our students as well as utilizing alternative options like HSED programming and possibly expanding to an in-house GEDO program.”

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Lift the cap but without penalizing Milwaukee

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Republicans are vowing to lift the caps on the Milwaukee school voucher program and the state’s virtual schools. Governor-elect Scott Walker promised in his campaign to lift the caps, and state school Superintendent Tony Evers said recently he was open to doing so.

We’re with them – but only if a funding formula that penalizes Milwaukee taxpayers is fixed. And only if, especially in the case of voucher schools, tough accountability standards remain in place.

We’re also open to extending the voucher program beyond Milwaukee, but this is a program for the poor. It should remain that way. Calls to raise income guidelines or even eliminate them should be batted down.

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Wisconsin Virtual Schools Close to Capacity

February 26, 2010 By 2 Comments

Continued popularity of Wisconsin’s virtual schools are pushing them near capacity, which may force the Legislature to revisit an enrollment cap put in place two years ago, an audit released Tuesday shows.

The state’s 15 virtual schools offer classes from kindergarten through high school over the Internet, allowing students to attend from home. They have been growing in popularity in Wisconsin and nationwide as an alternative for students who may not otherwise perform as well in a traditional school.

But the future of Wisconsin’s virtual schools was put in jeopardy when a state appeals court ruled in 2007 that the largest one, Wisconsin Virtual School, was operating in violation of open enrollment, charter school and teacher licensing laws.

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From EdWeek.org

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Virtual school works for local family

February 26, 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 her from books. But, I do it in the middle of the day. My daughter is a student with the Wisconsin Connections Academy (WCA) — a statewide, virtual public school.

She has textbooks and state-certified teachers just like every other fifth-grader in Wisconsin. The only difference is the building where she learns. Instead of a brick-and-mortar school, my daughter attends public school in the comfort of her own home. I can be directly involved in her lessons, and she can learn at her own pace. Her teachers are extremely devoted to her learning, and they communicate daily by phone or e-mail.

Our computer acts as a link between the school and my daughter, but she doesn’t spend every waking minute online.

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From WisconsinRapidsTribune.com

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