Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School Selects InScribe Platform to Enhance Communication

InScribe, which delivers game-changing digital community solutions, today announced a partnership with Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS), streamlining the way the school engages and communicates with parents and students. InScribe’s intelligent collaboration and community platform creates a centralized location for interaction, making it easy for everyone to connect and get the information and answers they need in a timely way.

“For a lot of parents, virtual schooling is unfamiliar territory, and we don’t want them to feel the distance. Rather we want them to feel connected and to be an integral part of their children’s education experience,” said Chris Moody, Director of Technology. “InScribe is redefining how we communicate, making it easier and more straightforward. Not only can we share information across our communities, but InScribe is helping us to be more effective and transparent in our interactions.”

From enrollment, onboarding, and orientation, throughout the educational journey, parents can easily access GCVS’ community to ask questions, find resources, get notifications, contribute to the group, and connect with other parents and educators. Parents can search for information, view questions and answers from other parents, and see the interactions and advice from parents who came before them, giving them the tools they need to better navigate the education process and support their children.…Read More

Virtual schooling’s popularity challenges policy makers

Because assumptions vary based on individual perceptions of the role of virtual schooling in K-12 education, school officials need to invest more time and effort communicating about these issues, not less.

With student enrollment increasing rapidly, virtual schooling is experiencing some growing pains. From high dropout rates to concerns about academic rigor, virtual schooling is generating a litany of complaints and unintended student consequences.

Recently, for example, high-flying students at a suburban high school in North Carolina were shocked to discover that their class ranks had dropped unexpectedly, just in time for many major college application deadlines—and scholarship opportunities.

The culprit? Students dually enrolled at the traditional school and in online classes offered through the state’s virtual high school earned enough credit to move from the top of the junior to the top of the senior class.…Read More

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Online learning provider K12 faces class-action lawsuit

K12 disputes the allegations against it and 'intends to vigorously defend itself,' the company said.

After a recent New York Times article implied that online learning giant K12 Inc. focuses more on its bottom line than student performance, the company now faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that it violated securities laws by issuing false and misleading statements regarding its business prospects.

On Dec. 12, 2011, the Times published an article describing numerous alleged improper practices at K12’s main virtual charter schools. After the article appeared, the price of K12 stock plunged from a high of $28.79 per share on Dec. 9, 2011, to a low of $18.46 per share on Dec. 16, 2011. The stock was trading at $21. 56 as of press time.

The lawsuit, aimed at the country’s largest operator of full-time public virtual schools, targets Harry T. Hawks, the company’s chief financial officer, and Ronald J. Packard, K12’s chief executive. It alleges that:…Read More

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Parents get help in choosing an online learning program

The guide explains that online learning programs are diverse, and comparing them is often like comparing apples to oranges.
The guide explains that online learning programs are diverse, and comparing them is often like comparing apples to oranges.

A new guide offers parents a roadmap in their quest to find the right online-learning program for their child.

“A Parent’s Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program,” written by John Watson and Butch Gemin of the Evergreen Education Group and Marla Coffey, a distance education consultant at the University of Maryland University College, is part of the Promising Practices in Online Learning series from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL).

“Thirty states and more than half of the school districts in the U.S. offer online courses and services, and online learning is growing rapidly, at 30 percent annually,” says the guide. “This growth is meeting demand among students, and more than 40 percent of high school and middle schools students have expressed interest in taking an online course.”…Read More

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