Lawrence Virtual School leader defends quality of students' educations / LJWorld.com

Archive for Thursday, October 9, 2008

October 9, 2008

Topeka — The Lawrence Virtual School is a growing reality.

"We deliver a high-quality education in which we foster innovation, creativity, excellence and pride," said Gary Lewis, who is the head of the school.

Lewis spoke Thursday to a meeting of state education leaders and legislators.

Lawrence Virtual School, which is part of the Lawrence public school district, serves an online curriculum to students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Since its inception in 2004, it has grown from an enrollment of 165 students to 936 students.

It attracts students from across the state, with the highest number located in Johnson County, 226; Sedgwick County, 168; and Douglas County, 100.

Lewis said many of the students have special needs or family situations that make online schooling more conducive.

Dennis Jones, a member of the 2010 Commission, said he was concerned about whether virtual school students were getting the socialization skills they need, such as the kind "you learn in the schoolyard."

Lewis said the virtual school students are brought together through online courses, and many of them participate in extracurricular activities at the "brick and mortar" schools.

"Our students are getting a very well-rounded education," he said. He said also said virtual schools require a greater degree of parental involvement.

Both the 2010 Commission, which advises the Legislature on education issues, and the Legislative Educational Planning Committee, which is made up of lawmakers, are reviewing virtual schools in Kansas to determine if any changes need to be made in how the state oversees these schools. Officials from virtual schools based in Manhattan and Spring Hill also testified during the joint committee meeting.

Some lawmakers have expressed concerns about virtual schools marketing themselves in an area beyond their local school district. Lewis said it is important that parents considering enrolling their children in virtual schools know their options.

"Being honest and upfront about our expectations is an absolute," he said.

Discussion

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9 October 2008
at 9:12 p.m.

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Kookamooka (Anonymous) says…

That “school yard” socialization is exactly what many of these kids are escaping by enrolling in virtual classes. They want to focus on school and learning and not cliques and bullies. Sorry, but brick and mortar public schooling is not the gold standard for education. I wish I had gone to a virtual school when I was younger. Everything about living is educational.
9 October 2008
at 9:16 p.m.

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srj (Anonymous) says…

Still don't know why we let kids from other counties into the school.
9 October 2008
at 10:06 p.m.

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BaxterC (Anonymous) says…

I recently took classes over the summer at the virtual school due to my lacking grades during the school year. I was a nervous wreck at the time and didn't believe I would be able to graduate. Luckily I was able to speak with a teacher at the Lawrence summer virtual school and enrolled. It was a well organized program that worked around my summer schedule and it ensured I was able to graduate. The teachers I had there were very helpful, kind, and understanding. It was the perfect environment I needed to complete my work even if there were a few students who did not appreciate the school at all. But I felt the teachers handled these students pretty good. The students who were able to work got a lot done. Thanks so much to the virtual school!
9 October 2008
at 10:07 p.m.

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been_there (Anonymous) says…

because the state gives the school district money for each student enrolled.
9 October 2008
at 10:09 p.m.

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been_there (Anonymous) says…

I was answering srj's question
9 October 2008
at 10:11 p.m.

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been_there (Anonymous) says…

Bashor-Linwood has been enrolling students all over the state for many years and lawmakers are just now worried about it? And their program really sucked.
10 October 2008
at 5:54 a.m.

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Made_in_China (Paul R. Getto) says…

“system will end up with the many crappy teachers like we have now who want the kids to never fail.” === Interesting contention. Evidence? Just curious, exactly how many kids should we want to be failures? Teachers are (or should be) proud professionals. Given the odds some kids face trying to live, let alone learn, schools do pretty well; not good enough, and we need to work on that, but pretty well.

10 October 2008
at 6:44 a.m.

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merrill (Anonymous) says…

My only suggestion would be to offer a more in depth curriculum such as Calvert or Waldorf which some public schools have adopted across the board.The “K-12” curriculum is an infant in comparison. Virtual schools do not need to be failures and I doubt any in this area are failures. Leavenworth offers the Calvert approach which has been around for about 100 years. Some homeschoolers use a variety resources rather than depending on one concept thus broadening horizons.Also field trips can be awesome such as the Franklin Institute,Louisville slugger factory,Philadelphia Zoo,Crayola factory,Tall Grass Prairie,Cosmsosphere,Hutchinson Salt Mine Museum,Waxmans Candle,Denver Mint,Liberty Bell,National Underground Railroad Freedom Center,KC Science Museum,KC Zoo or setting up classes with KU Natural History Museum staff. Kansas City area is loaded with museums and other interesting topics. One day we intend to visit a train rehab center located at the old GM factory area.KU Natural History Museum staff were impressed with the childrens questions and level of interest in the topics the years our group procured this wonderful resource. It was a great learning environment and fun.Is virtual school or homeschool for everyone? Of course not. Is public school for everyone? Of course not. Do homeschool students have problems getting into college?No. USD 497 has some history of working with homeschool families such as for band,art or sceince etc etc… whatever assistance could be offered.The socialization concern is truly no concern. There are children in neighborhoods,the Art Center and/or play groups can be formed. Some homeschool families team up. Families can do joint field trips.
10 October 2008
at 10:13 a.m.

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monkeyspunk (Anonymous) says…

“The socialization concern is truly no concern. There are children in neighborhoods,the Art Center and/or play groups can be formed. Some homeschool families team up. Families can do joint field trips.”We know a couple of home school families and their kids are so busy throughout the day with play dates, field trips, sports activities. There is a very strong network of families in Lawrence to support home schooling. My wife has been checking out the best programs, and has found that daily lessons only total about 3 hours per day. The rest of the day can be spent doing other things like socializing with other families and other activities. If you can afford it, home schooling could be a great option, especially in Lawrence. We are toying with the idea. I know this isn't necessarily about virtual schooling but someone mentioned home schooling and I wanted to chime in…sorry.
11 October 2008
at 9:49 p.m.

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toe (Anonymous) says…

With their virtual education, the students know virtually nothing.