Loudoun Co. schools open distance learning portal for next school year

 

As other Virginia-based schools scale back on their COVID-19-related health restrictions, Loudoun County Public Schools is reminding students and parents of its virtual learning program for middle and high school students for its upcoming school year.

Students interested in distance learning need to apply through an online web application to be considered for enrollment in the program. The application portal will close on March 31, according to a news release...

https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2022/03/loudoun-co-schools-opens-distance-learning-portal-for-next-school-year/?fbclid=IwAR3CXSVNX2mwsUlZdefkEL1mgMlCS8dFw6mswLBCftVP7U-kKrnV8mJ1UBI

"In some cases, she said, the tactics employed by school officials to convince parents and students even resemble bullying."

Schools use home visits, calls to convince parents to choose in-person classes in fall

 ...But Lakisha Young questions this orthodoxy. Young, who heads an Oakland-based nonprofit group that works to improve educational opportunities for families of color, thinks the conversation about the fall is centered too much on whether families will return in person. In some cases, she said, the tactics employed by school officials to convince parents and students even resemble bullying.

Instead, school districts should be exploring new and better ways to educate families, she said — including in an online format. She pointed to the model developed by her nonprofit, the Oakland REACH. Called the “Hub,” it is a parent-led initiative that offers families a wide range of free services, from after-school care to academic support to technology training and entrepreneurship classes for parents. Hub students’ reading scores went up dramatically during the pandemic, she said. Although the Hub started off independent from the school system, Oakland Public Schools has now partnered with the Oakland REACH to make it part of the district’s regular programming.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/schools-in-person-learning-outreach/2021/07/03/4cb7e512-c9f2-11eb-a11b-6c6191ccd599_story.html

MCPS VIRTUAL ACADEMY APPLICATIONS OPEN UNTIL JULY 2

Applications are open for Montgomery Virtual, Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) virtual learning academy for the 2021-2022 school year.

In order to be eligible for the K-12 online academy, the MCPS student or student’s family must be experiencing extenuating health circumstances that could be helped through virtual learning, according to the application form. Families must provide documentation of the circumstances. If there is no documentation, “evidence of such extenuating circumstances may be obtained through consultation with school staff,” MCPS says. For high school students, other circumstances like work, an internship or dual enrollment at Montgomery College may be qualifying circumstances...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/mcps-virtual-academy-applications-open-until-july-2/?fbclid=IwAR2waHF0bceyZ4Wtuj5OPtYd0W7dVzr8WSGxEY7Vl1whYQ9g3tEGMbfHaNs

Montgomery Co. public school students can stay virtual

Montgomery County Public School students in Maryland will get a new full-time virtual option for next school year.

The proposed new program, Virtual Academy, will be an option for students in pre-K through 12th grade.

“We know there’s a part of the community who may not want to return for health reasons, or may just be thriving in this virtual learning environment — able to focus more, and are performing better,” MCPS Engagement, Innovation and Operations Chief Derek Turner said...

https://wtop.com/education/2021/04/montgomery-co-public-school-students-can-stay-virtual/?fbclid=IwAR34CZ8dC5lUXreZyeibsqPMmpAJ5q31oWTGDN1aKTBJa8A5VZY_B-qdGMM