Dear Virginia Education Policy Leader:
Can Blended Learning help your school division raise the rate of graduation … at a lower cost per pupil?
The concept of “Blended Learning” is increasingly in the news, and you’re likely to hear a lot more about it in the months and years to come. That’s why we’ve organized this special luncheon immediately prior to the start of the upcoming Virginia School Boards Association Convention in Williamsburg.
“Blended Learning” is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction, but with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace. Unlike “full-time virtual schools,” blended learning is delivered at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home. And by taking advantage of cost reductions through the use of technology, blended learning programs are typically less expensive than full-time brick and mortar classroom settings.
success in and credit a reduced
Schools like Rocketship Discovery Prep elementary schools have had notable raising student scores, but blended learning is most often used for dropout prevention recovery, where they are frequently run by public school systems or contracted out at cost and increased flexibility. Here are the details on our special luncheon –
Blended Learning:
How Does It Work?
How Can Your School Division Use It?
Wednesday,
November 14, 2012
12:30 pm to 1:45 pm $15 per person
Our guest speaker will be John Murray, Chairman and CEO of AdvancePath Academics, a Williamsburg service provider focusing on using blended learning for at-risk intervention, dropout prevention and credit recovery. John is the former CEO of PLATO Learning and has spent ten years on the Board of the National Dropout Prevention Network.
AdvancePath Academics has graduated 3,300 students since inception in 2006 – about 50 percent of whom have gone on to post-secondary education — and currently operates in California, Maryland, Michigan, Alaska and Washington, DC. When students first enroll, the AdvancePath Academy tests them for academics and socio-emotional need and creates an individualized learning plan for each student. They then attend the Academy five days per week and choose to attend morning, afternoon, or evening session. Each session typically lasts four hours and each academy is staffed with five to seven adults who are reassigned District employees. AdvancePath, at its cost, fully provisions each Academy (furniture, technology, currricula, materials, supplies,etc.) and provides all staff training, professional development and oversight. The average daily rate across the country is approximately $40.00 per student before refunding the District for staff costs ($17.00 per day net of staff costs).
The luncheon cost is only $ 15 per person, and you can register by sending a check, payable to “The Thomas Jefferson Institute” to the address below. Or you can register online by clicking here.
Either way you register, this will be an outstanding presentation offering much food for thought as education continues to increase the digital options available for students. I hope you’ll make a point of joining us!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (703) 922-6768 or via email at c.braunlich@att.net.
Sincerely,
Christian N. Braunlich Vice President
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
PS – This is certain to be a fascinating luncheon! Remember you can register for this luncheon (only $15) by sending a check, payable to “The Thomas Jefferson Institute” to the address below. Or you can register online by clicking here.