Minnesota Online High Schools» online education

Bill would allow online driver’s ed for home-schoolers

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:30:32 +0000

Nestled in the fine print of the omnibus transportation bill pending before the state Legislature is a provision allowing home-schoolers to sign their kids up for online driver’s education. And dozens of commercial digital driver-training programs already operating in other states are poised to start schooling Minnesota teens in cyberspace.

As far as political alliances go, the love affair between home-schoolers and for-profit online education companies would seem about as sweet as it gets.

Since the goal of home schooling often is keeping kids out of public schools, the advent of the virtual school is a major boon. Sweeter still: When the cyber-academy is a charter school, with taxpayers picking up the tab for everything from hardware to curriculum.

Indeed, presidential also-ran Rick Santorum got into trouble several years ago when it was revealed that he had moved out of the state where a public school district paid a cyber charter $100,000 to home-school several of his children.

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West St. Paul’s BlueSky Online School Awaits Ruling

admin — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:06:27 +0000

BlueSky Online School in West St. Paul made their case to stay open before an administrative law judge last month.

The Minnesota Department of Education has threatened to close the school, claiming that the charter school graduated students who had not met state standards, and that the curriculum did not align with state standards.

The results of the case could impact whether District 197 absorbs BlueSky into the district to provide online education.

BlueSky officials disagree with the state’s assessment, and are critical of the review process that the department used to evaluate the school.

For the rest of the article, go to West St. Paul’s BlueSky Online School Awaits Ruling

Online services give schools the edge

admin — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:05:44 +0000

For St. Clair, a district of about 600 students, that trend also has played out locally with more than a dozen high-schoolers now enrolled in some kind of online course.

And secondly, the number of providers of online education services is also proliferating rapidly, convincing St. Clair educators that if they don’t teach their students online, someone else will.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s print edition or e-edition.

For the rest of the article, go to Online services give schools the edge

Capella Education Upgraded

admin — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 05:38:06 +0000

We recently upgraded our recommendation on Capella Education Company (CPLA – Analyst Report), provider of online education, to ‘Neutral’ with a price target of $69.00. Earlier, we had an ‘Underperform’ rating on the stock.

Capella Education’s strong focus on working adults and exclusive online education has enabled it to become a prominent player in the for-profit post-secondary education industry. The company’s sustained efforts to expand educational programs helps it to boost enrollments, and in turn, the top line.

For the rest of the article, go to Capella Education Upgraded

Online Courses Offer Options, Support for Homeschooling Families

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:46:22 +0000

As more and more families seek alternatives to traditional school, we’re seeing an increase in students blending homeschool and online education. Every family and situation is different, but regardless of the circumstance, a tough decision has to be made when homeschooled students enter their high school years. In the past, the choices have typically been a) continue homeschooling through high school or b) start at/return to a traditional brick & mortar school.

Now, thanks to public online schools, like Insight Schools, families have a choice that offers different options for student-centered learning that didn’t exist just a few years ago – eliminating the either/or choice of the past. Insight Schools and other online education providers are allowing students to enroll full-time as well as part-time. A full-time option allows students to take a full course-load in the environment they’re accustomed to and still have their parent by their side, while part-time enrollment gives them the option of taking a class or two while still receiving instruction from their parents for their remaining courses.

For the rest of the article, go to Online Courses Offer Options, Support for Homeschooling Families

iQ Academy to make pitch for online learning at Beetles baseball game

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:29:01 +0000

iQ Academy Minnesota will host a social event at Knute Nelson Memorial Ballpark, home of the Alexandria Beetles baseball team, on Tuesday, July 13 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Prospective students and their families are invited to attend along with current students to learn more about online education. Current students of iQ Academy will have the opportunity to meet and interact in an in-person social environment with their classmates.

For the rest of the article, go to iQ Academy to make pitch for online learning at Beetles baseball game