We adults talk frequently about education reform that is tied to new technology, virtual classes, teacher effectiveness, and individualized student learning. I think we overlook the importance of culture. Working to establish a school culture that emulates the best practices found in highly functional work environments can lead to students acquiring valuable skills. I have seen school cultures that encourage and foster creativity, productivity, collaboration and personal responsibility. Building a culture that empowers students leads them not only to feel responsible for themselves, but also to develop awareness and care for other students in their school, and frequently to have an affinity for students well beyond their local community.

But many local charter students are among the more than 30,000 statewide who attend school by computer through the major online charters — Alternative Education Academy (also known as OHDELA), Buckeye Online School for Success, Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, Ohio Connections Academy, Ohio Virtual Academy, Treca Digital Academy and Virtual Community School of Ohio.

Some districts have set up their own charter schools, which can operate online, such as in Akron and Lorain, or in classrooms, such as in Lakewood.

For the rest of the article, go to The complex landscape of Ohio charter schools

21 News spoke with an expert who says there are multiple factors to consider when making a decision.

“The not having to wake up at 6:00 a.m., 5:30 a.m. to being able to wake up whenever I want and knowing I can still get it all done, everything that needs to be done,” said Anthony Hill, a senior at Austintown Fitch High School’s online program “Falcon Pride Online.”

Last school year, Anthony left the school’s brick and mortar building for the district’s cyber program.

“His grades have improved almost dramatically,” said his dad, Rick Hill.

A research professor at Kent State University warns the online classroom isn’t cut out for everyone.

“The kind of student that succeeds are the students who have good motivation, good time keeping skills, the kind that have good writing skills, computer literacy skills.  Students who don’t have those skills typically don’t succeed in these online courses,” said Rick Ferdig, Ph.D. KSU Research Professor at the Research Center for Educational Technology.

Ferdig said parents also need to look into the type of program.

For the rest of the article, go to Enrollment increasing at Ohio online schools

With the awarded funds, OHDELA was able to expand upon their current mobile learning technologies and initiatives for students, including the use of iPods, iPads, netbooks and smart phones. Along with this expansion, they were also able to participate in sustained, collaborative job-embedded professional development.

“HMH is proud to partner with leading online schools like OHDELA,” said Mike Lavelle, President, Education Group at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “Transforming education in the 21st century will require innovative alliances to integrate the best content, platforms, and professional development. As a global education leader, HMH understands the value of bringing the best technology into classrooms and has found a committed partner in OHDELA.”

For the rest of the article, go to Online School, OHDELA, Leverages Grant Funds for Technology Advancement

Grace King found that early on while attending Hoover High School, and, instead of suffering through four years in a place she wasn’t comfortable, with people who she felt wouldn’t give her a chance, she did something.

Grace enrolled in the Ohio Connections Academy, a public virtual school where all her classes were taken online from her North Canton home. After two years, she got her diploma and now plans to attend the University of Akron in the fall.

For the rest of the article, go to North Canton Teen Talks About the Benefits of Online Schooling

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow is seeking 75 teachers for the start of the 2011-2012 school year. ECOT will hold a job fair from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at its headquarters in Columbus. Anyone interested should visit http://www.ecotohio.org/jobfair to register.

Applicants must live in Ohio, have a valid teaching license, and be considered a “highly qualified teacher” -a federal designation based on licensing and competence – in the subject for which they’re applying. They also must have a good internet connection in their home.

For the rest of the article, go to Here’s one school that’s hiring

While some districts retain traditional summer school programs, others have turned to a wide array of alternative methods, such as virtual classrooms, research internships, summer camps or open enrollment in other districts.

Many of the larger districts in Northeast Ohio, such as Riverside, Willoughby-Eastlake and Mentor in Lake County and Chardon in Geauga County, offer traditional summer school courses and may even accept students from districts that do not offer summer programs.

For the rest of the article, go to Summer school a mixed bag of options for students

Rita Marie Thellian said she tried out several different educational options for her kids, including homeschooling Sean and placing both him and Hannah in Ruffing Montessori and then Fairfax Elementary and Roxboro Middle School, before deciding on OCA.

Thellian certainly had her pick. There were 27 e-schools operating in Ohio during the 2009-2010 school year. Seven of those, including OCA, have statewide enrollment, while the rest enroll only locally.

For the rest of the article, go to E-school Offers Education Alternative for Cleveland Heights Family

She believes being self-motivated is a must.

“You have to force yourself to sit down, and do the work on your own and set dates and time yourself and limit yourself, and plan.”

Parents are encouraged to help; however, Jill believes the student can handle the class on their own, especially because she says teachers are so easily accessible.

Connections Academy is just one accredited school that offers courses. Ohio Virtual Academy is another.

Online credit recovery is something that is being done in school now.

For the rest of the article, go to Summer School Week: Classes with ‘Virtually’ No School

Karen Brown, of the Leadership Coshocton County Board of Directors, presented a certificate of completion plaque to each class member. Class members represented Coshocton, River View and Ridgewood high schools and Ohio Virtual Academy.

For the rest of the article, go to CCYL recognizes Class of 2011