Personalized learning. A Gates Foundation grant helps Pinellas schools try a new approach. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter schools. The Lake school board wants more time to decide a charter application. Leesburg Daily Commercial.
Principal autonomy. Legislation returns this year. Sun-Sentinel.
Lawsuits. The statewide teachers union might sue over a bonus program. Orlando Sentinel.
Class size. Lake school board members hope to avoid penalties incurred last year. Orlando Sentinel.
Audits. Lawmakers probe Palm Beach bus woes. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post.
Supplies. Teachers bristle at having to show receipts for supply-assistance funding. Gradebook.
School boards. A Collier school board member avoids censure by the Republican Party. Naples Daily News. An Escambia school board member is set to resign. Pensacola News-Journal.
by Star Kraschinsky
Florida Virtual School® (FLVS®) opened its virtual doors in August 1997 as the country’s first Internet-based public high school with seven teachers and 77 students. Today, the statewide, public virtual school serves more than 122,000 public, private, charter and home-schooled students in Kindergarten through 12th grade and provides e-solutions to all 67 Florida school districts, the remaining 49 states and to 57 countries.
Through FLVS and online learning solutions, curriculum and scheduling choices are no longer limited to local school offerings or a student’s zip code. Access is offered 24/7/365 from any place with Internet connection. Fast forward 10, maybe even just five years, and this paradigm shift on how to best serve students – where they are and not where we want them to be – will be almost complete.
The fundamental belief of FLVS that every student is unique and learns at a different pace is as true today as it was 15 years ago. It’s all about personalized learning and instruction.
In the future, when funding completely follows a child, he/she will be able to be zoned to one “home” school, but take courses from various schools. Students and their parents will have educational choices; they will be able to map out their own personalized learning journey.
With funding following the student, the bottom line will not be at the center of all decisions made; the student will be at the center – as he/she should be. (more…)
