Virtual Classrooms

The Capital Area Online Learning Association and its system for enrolling students in full-time or part-time classes online is taking off in Pennsylvania, offering more electives and career pathways programs.

Administration at Mason City Community Schools is pleased that 73 students enrolled in a new virtual academy for K-12, established through ESSER funds and enabled by Chromebooks and Google Classroom.

When COVID-19 closed libraries, schools and churches, Latinos in Sussex County, Del. moved their English as a Second Language program to Zoom, which hindered participation for some but also preceded a rise in enrollment.

While many teachers consider fleeing the profession, either due to the risk of in-person teaching during COVID-19 or the difficulty of remote lessons, others are excited for fall and applying lessons of the past year.

Because Texas will no longer provide funding for students not physically present in classrooms, Austin ISD will lose $4,500 for every virtual student and incur $5,600 in additional costs, totaling about $41 million.

The state will not allow schools to offer virtual options for students this year, forcing districts to come up with contingency plans for those who contract COVID-19 and have to quarantine.

Communities throughout the state are trying local hotspots, limited virtual classrooms, Google Classroom, and private-public partnerships laying fiber in an effort to accommodate families with poor Internet connection.

Since all-virtual classes aren’t permitted for the coming year, Palm Beach County teachers are debating whether turning on their cameras for students quarantining at home is a viable way to keep them from falling behind.

Initially frustrated by the demands of virtual instruction last year, some math teachers in North Carolina have permanently integrated tools such as digital whiteboards, Canvas and Google Classroom into their work.

SRI Education, Columbia University and the nonprofit Achieving the Dream are partnering on a research center to help students learn study skills necessary for success in online learning environments.

Though many students struggled with remote learning, success stories proved it can be a viable model for some. Now K-12 schools have an opportunity to axe the one-size-fits-all approach and build more flexible options.

Twinsburg City Schools will offer virtual classes through Ohio Online Learning, sponsored by the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio, to students whose grades and attendance meet certain criteria.

Staff surveys indicated that implementation of academic standards dipped at least in part due to distance learning, as teachers were figuring out how to engage students and use Canvas' online courses.

There are about 23,500 students in summer school between Tucson's nine major school districts this year, engaged in hands-on and personalized learning to make up for what was lost over months of remote instruction.

The West Virginia school district started issuing the laptops about five years ago, but since they became a staple of daily instruction during the pandemic, training sessions have helped teachers learn to use them.

A survey by the ed-tech company Instructure found parents and teachers are confident about tech-driven educational methods and tools, but concerns about digital equity and the efficacy of standardized testing remain.

Having lost a fifth of its enrollment from fall 2019 to 2020, MJC is preparing for a fall semester with fewer course offerings, sparsely populated classes and nearly half its students now favoring remote instruction.

A report co-authored by the state and the national organization Attendance Works found that chronic absence increased by more than 8 percent compared to 2019, particularly among Black, Hispanic and high-needs students.