In this episode, Step Up For Students president Doug Tuthill interviews Louis Algaze, president and CEO of Florida Virtual School. Founded in 1997, FLVS is a publicly funded non-profit that operates as its own $240 million school district. During the 2018-19 academic year, it served 215,505 students, technically making it the largest public school in the United States.
Tuthill and Algaze discuss FLVS’ rapid expansion in the wake of COVID-19 and the role the online school will play going forward, touching on improvement opportunities for the learning model they expect will be an example for the nation’s public school system as it shifts gears into the fall and beyond.
“There is so much talent and desire … We’re looking forward to really fantastic things in the future.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
· How FLVS rapidly expanded capacity to serve every public school student in Florida
· Differences between crisis learning and a full online education
· How the demand for blended learning will grow and what it will look like
· The challenge of acclimating nearly 2,000 teachers to a blended learning model and the commitment to train teachers statewide
· Collaborating with traditional public, charter, and private schools to address student needs
LINKS MENTIONED:
· Online school during COVID-19: It’s about student learning (Alaska)
· Florida Virtual School brings online education to Alaska
