Virtual school student dreams of joining the circus

While most kids her age spend all day stuck inside a classroom, 12-year-old Audrey Webb is free to do what she wants.

Audrey goes to school online through the Texas Online Preparatory School and says having the classroom in your bedroom has its perks. 

She can go to class whenever she wants, takes courses meant for high schoolers, and is already fluent in Spanish.

Read  more about Audrey here.

Charter and Magnet Schools Dominate List of Nationwide Best

Nine out of the top ten public high schools in the country are charter or magnet schools, according to the latest figures from U.S. News and World Report. In addition, charters and magnets account for 60 of the top 100 high schools. These statistics are even impressive when one considers that such schools constitute a relatively small percentage of the public schools around the country.

Read more when you click here.

Report Wrongly Claims to Provide Answers on Wisconsin School Choice Policies

A recent report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty attempts to compare student test score performance for the 2015-16 school year across Wisconsin’s public schools, charter schools, and private schools participating in one of the state’s voucher programs. Though it highlights important patterns in student test score performance, the report’s limited analyses fail to provide answers as to the relative effectiveness of school choice policies.

Keep reading here.

Wrestling club partners with online school to give student athletes tailored experience

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -- What if your kid started and ended their day with wrestling? Such a thing exists on a campus in Castle Rock because of a partnership between an online charter school and a non-profit wrestling club.

Luke Morris is one of the head coaches and a principal at Sons of Thunder Academy. It is a unique opportunity as most of the students can adjust their education according to their training commitments, all while stepping outside of a traditional classroom setting.

Read more here.

Connecticut virtual school student chosen for National Society of High School Scholars

The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) selected Alison Ramos to become a member of their organization. “On behalf of NSHSS, I am honored to recognize the hard work, sacrifice and commitment that Alison has demonstrated to achieve this exceptional level of academic excellence,” Claes Nobel NSHSS founder and chairman said. “Alison is now a member of a unique community of scholars — a community that represents our very best hope for the future.”

Continue reading here.

Philly Virtual School Student has a Unique Interest

When Garrett Ziss, 13, held the 200-year-old half-cent piece, he felt a direct link to the days when Baltimore’s Washington Monument rose on what was then the edge of the city.

His imagination came alive: Had President George Washington’s contemporaries held the same one? Had any of the holders fought in the War of 1812 in Baltimore’s harbor?

Sitting around a table inside the Maryland Historical Society, the young numismatist joined local historians to inspect and record details about two dozen coins and medals discovered two years ago in the monument’s two time capsules.

“These coins have been hidden away for 200 years,” said Garrett, of West Chester, Pa. “The last people who held these coins were probably people who knew George Washington.”

More here.

Young award-winning photographer and virtual school student raises awareness for autism

Morgan, a Conifer resident, started doing nature photography about two years ago after playing with his mom’s iPhone. Since then, one of his photos — a close-up shot of a many-spotted white tiger moth laying a pool of pearly eggs — was picked as a finalist in the 2016 National History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest’s “10 and Under” division, earning it a spot in the annual competition book and a fair amount of press.

Read more about virtual school student Morgan here.

Gallup Poll: Americans Agree on Federal Funding for School Choice

A recent Gallup poll found bipartisan support for federal funding of school choice programs.

“The other two Trump proposals that generate more agreement than disagreement from Americans are cutting taxes for the middle class and providing federal funding for school-choice programs that allow students to attend any private or public school,” Gallup reported. “Republicans strongly support both of these proposals, and Democrats are more likely to agree than disagree with them, although by slim margins.”

In its “National School Choice Poll” the American Federation for Children (AFC) found that 68% of likely voters support school choice, and 72% supported the creation of a federal tax credit program.

Continue reading this article here.

WIAA Ruling on Virtual Schools

STEVENS POINT — There was no contentious discussion about hot-topic issues. Buzzwords such as success factor and private school multipliers weren’t debated.

Maybe a calm WIAA annual meeting Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Convention Center wasn’t a bad thing as the state looks toward the future of high school athletics, Madison Memorial athletic director Jeremy Schlitz said.

“My biggest takeaway is that things have been pretty intense the last few years,” said Schlitz, who also is the Madison school district athletic director. “This will allow us to reset and reorganize our priorities.”

Continue reading here.

Michigan student applauds virtual school teacher during appreciation week

As our nation marks National Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to recognize my algebra teacher, Pamela Carpenter, for inspiring me to do my best in all of my classes at Michigan Virtual Charter Academy.

My academic journey has not been easy. I’m in ninth grade, but have attended many different schools. Due to medical issues, I’ve had a hard time in my classes, especially in traditional, brick-and-mortar settings. I have done poorly in school and even flunked classes and repeated a grade – mostly due to the number of classes I missed because of my health problems.

Continue here.