Virtual Schooling in the News

A couple from a variety of sources this week. The first one come to us from Edweek Update.

Mich. Pupils Could Face Online Rule

Michigan education officials are pushing legislation that includes online lessons as part of a package of new requirements for high school graduation. If state lawmakers approve the bill, which was introduced late last month, the mandate would be the first of its kind in the nation, state officials there believe.

From the Google news alert for virtual school.

Eliminating education duplication
Macon Telegraph - Macon, GA, USA

People in Dublin are beginning to see the light and are willing to address an issue that has been around for too long a time: The Dublin City School System. A petition is due to be circulated that will ask citizens in the city if they favor dropping the school system's charter. That act would consolidate the seven school, almost 3,000 student system, with the larger Laurens County School System with nine schools and almost 6,000 students. Citizens have formed the Community Action Task Force to push the issue. The group has already started collecting the approximately 2,050 signatures needed to put the referendum on the ballot in September.

Wisconsin Virtual Academy Hosting Parent Information Sessions ...
Yahoo! News (press release) - USA

For parents, who want to enroll their child in a new school next year, now is the time to act. Parents across the state are taking advantage of Wisconsin's open enrollment program, which runs through February 24, 2006, to explore education options. One of the most popular school options is the Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA). During Wisconsin's open enrollment period, the Wisconsin Virtual Academy will host a series of parent information sessions and other education events across the state. [See all stories on this topic]

Online classes hit in high school
Daytona Beach News-Journal - Daytona, FL, USA

Tori Gibbs is running short on time. The 17-year-old is taking a full load of honors classes, serves as an editor for her high school newspaper and plays on the girls softball team at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Yet she still had to take one year of physical education this fall to fulfill Florida's graduation requirement. With softball practice everyday, that seemed like a waste.

NASA Grants $3 Mil. For Virtual Air Tower Dowling To House Program
Suffolk Life Newspapers - Riverhead, NY, USA

Due to be opened for testing this spring, this “virtual airport” will provide Dowling students with a realistic simulation of managing everything from the air traffic control down to emergency situations.“The aviation industry has used flight simulation to train pilots for years,” said Martin Holley, dean of the School of Aviation for Dowling. “Thousands of people are involved in airport operations and very little attention has been given to their needs.” A staple of pilot training, virtual simulators allowed students to go through a number of simulations without actually putting themselves in danger. Now, that technology is being applied to the entire airport operation.

The Google news alert for cyber school.

High school, college students embrace online networking
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Nachole Campbell is linked into the phenomenon MySpace virtually all day long. The 16-year-old Apollo resident, who is home-schooled through a cyber-school, has her MySpace account open nearly all the time she is "in school" online. MySpace is like a new twist on the old method of passing notes in school. "It's exciting,"Campbell says. "I'm pretty much on it all the time."

Getting tough on bullying
Edwardsville Intelligencer - Edwardsville, IL, USA

District 7 is offering a three-part series of parent workshops on childhood bullying and victimization. The workshops were developed by and will be presented by a team of District 7 staff members that include school psychologists, school social workers, parent educators, and administrators. [See all stories on this topic]

Taking Cyber-Credit
Hartford Advocate - Hartford, CT, USA

When it comes to nicknames for computer hackers, TerrorCyber has got to be among the lamest. It´s like titling a porn film Movie With Sex . No creativity. Nevertheless, TerrorCyber is the chosen moniker for someone who has claimed responsibility for damaging the computer system in a University of Connecticut academic building over the weekend of Jan. 28 and 29.

Tags: virtual school, cyber school, high school, education