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Virtual School as a Rural Education Solution

Written by Jean Halle

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Calvert works with rural school districts and consortia throughout the country to provide a world class education for their communities.

Recently, The National Rural Education Association (NREA) will hold its 101st Convention and Research Symposium in Cincinnati.  Of the 14,000 plus public school districts in the US, over 8000 are classified as rural by the National Center for Education Statistics.  Designation rely less on population size and county boundaries than proximity of an address to an urbanized area.  Rural students make up approximately  20% of the total student population. The percentage of rural minority students has grown significantly and it is estimated that as many as half of all English language learners (ELL) live in rural places

Rural Schools face many problems:

  • Resource constraints
  • Recruitment and Retention of High-Quality Teachers
  • Geographic isolation
  • Teachers stretched to teach multiple subjects and grades
  • Implementation of effective ELL programs
  • Limited School Choice Options

 
At Calvert, we have over a century of commitment to rural education. In fact, Virgil Hillyer, Calvert’s first Headmaster inspired the distance education movement in 1906, on the premise that all children should have access to quality education regardless of economics or geography.

Virtual schools offer a proven solution to address resource constraints and limited school choice options. Calvert works with rural school districts and consortiums throughout the country to provide a world class virtual school education for their communities.

Families seek an alternative to the traditional classroom for many reasons. Students may have health considerations or learning disabilities that are better served by learning at home or may simply benefit by individualized instruction.

A district sponsored virtual school program enables students to remain part of the school system and enjoy the many benefits of a public education while learning at home under the guidance of a parent and the supervision of a state-certified supervising teacher.

Calvert Partners offers a comprehensive, turnkey virtual school solution that includes planning, training, delivery and assessments. Rural school districts may implement a program for as few as one student or many allowing them to retain the majority of their per-pupil revenue and academic control.

We are pleased to join others at the NREA meeting this week and remain committed to serving all students with a quality education.