Virtual Classrooms
Stories about the technology associated with learning in a virtual space, as opposed to a physical classroom. Stories involve video conference software and online educational programs that are becoming increasingly common in both K-12 school districts and institutions of higher education.
Beaufort County School District in South Carolina has two separate programs, different from the makeshift ones it used during the pandemic, that have allowed some students to flourish by learning from home.
An initiative through Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management is trying to make higher education more accessible to women and girls around the globe via the Canvas online learning platform.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has decided that remote learning will no longer count toward a district’s minimum required structured learning time, having tried it for the 2020-2021 school year.
Lumberton Independent School District is the latest east Texas district to approve a four-day hybrid school calendar for 2023-24, hoping to alleviate issues with mental health, attendance and substitute fill rates.
To compete with other local districts and meet growing demand for online learning options, a Washington district is creating an online-only academy that will accept students from anywhere in the state starting in 2024.
With enrollment plummeting since the onset of the pandemic, Portland Public Schools is closing its Online Learning Academy in June as a cost-cutting measure. Its enrollment has dwindled to 225 students across 13 grades.
A nonprofit advocacy group says Pennsylvania’s 14 cyber charter schools held a combined $164 million in unassigned fund balances in the 2020-21 school year, essentially stockpiling funds that should be spent on students.
Georgia's second largest school district is discontinuing a virtual learning option for elementary students that it launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, though a program for for middle and high schoolers will continue.
The 13 largest cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania failed to meet any of the state averages on English, math and science exams. Some attribute this to low participation in tests, and some are calling for reform.
Later this year, the private university will launch several open online liberal arts courses on the digital learning platform edX in hopes of expanding its reach to virtual students across the globe.
