Students also would have access to teachers, either in person at Winter Lakes or in their home district, or online through video streaming, Sweeney said. The face time is critical to making the online program work, he said, especially when parents and students need some help with advanced coursework.

‘We find that a lot of students … try online schools and then are back within a few weeks of having left the district,” he said.

Generally that occurs because students don’t have the support they need to successfully complete work, he said. ‘But if you’re stuck and you don’t’ have an answer, it’d be nice to drive five minutes and say, ‘Hey, can you help me out with this part of it?” he added.

For the rest of the article, go to Online, real-life interaction combined

Public education exists to serve children – period. However, as evidenced by the Oregon Education Association’s (OEA) ongoing actions, some believe public education should serve primarily the adults who work in the system. Thankfully, this legislative session, Oregon’s state leaders concluded otherwise.

After tense negotiations on several education-related bills, Oregon’s legislature passed the most substantial education reforms Oregon has seen in decades, at the governor’s request. The more “controversial” elements of that package will provide students – who find their traditional public schools unsuitable – more educational options from which to choose, including charter and online schools. Such student-focused, choice-based measures were a particular pebble in the OEA’s shoe. Why?

For the rest of the article, go to Recent K-12 Education Reforms Let Kids Transfer to a Brighter Future

A trainload of 14 education bills, after starting and stopping Monday, managed to reach the station Tuesday as Oregon lawmakers put the legislative engine back on a track toward adjournment.

The House reversed itself and passed one of the bills that failed on a 30-30 tie Monday. The bill, which also passed the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, loosens state requirements for online schools.

For the rest of the article, go to Legislators plow through bills, put adjournment in sight