By Tom Vander Ark
Huffington Post
November 29, 2011
Becoming an online elementary teacher was a steep learning curve, even for Joyce Voelker a former principal and veteran teacher, “It took an entirely different skill set.” She was skeptical of an online elementary school, but after one year of teaching online is a wholehearted advocate after seeing the benefit to a wide span of families. “For every student, there is a different reason—behavior issues, health conditions, or students that are just a little different—but they come alive in this program and it is a godsend for these families.”
Nancy Brosnahan, Academic Administrator for the Virginia Virtual Academy (VAVA), an online school operated by K¹² Inc. (one of my digital learning advocacy partners) in partnership with Carroll County Public Schools, points to the proven benefits of starting world languages in the early elementary grades. The school uses K¹²’s Powerspeak world language program to deliver tailored language instruction. Students have a 200 day school year and can access the curriculum 365 days a year.