Overall, 190 students are now enrolled in Fairfield’s Virtual Academy, taught by 40 teachers. He follows the schedule as if he’s at school,” said Woodward. Credit: Image provided by Patricia Woodward Patricia Woodward’s son Zion did so well during remote learning that she decided to enroll him in Fairfield’s Virtual Academy for ninth grade. Zion, who enjoys video games, drawing on his iPad and practicing archery, is quite content with his learning schedule, his mother said. He’ll be able to take career technology classes next semester in person, although his parents will be responsible for transporting him. The teenager’s classes in English and junior ROTC are taught by a district teacher, while history and math are self-paced courses via the online platform Edgenuity. and lasts until 3 p.m., with a break for lunch. New Jersey says they’re on their ownįor Zion, the school day starts at 9 a.m. Related: These parents want more virtual learning. “We need to pull the quality up in virtual schools,” warned Heather Schwartz, co-author of the Rand surveys, “so that we don’t have yet another form of splintering, fragmenting public school offerings, where we have a lower-quality track in the form of virtual schools relative to in-person schools.” And the answer to whether a small, rural district can make virtual learning work has key implications for equity in schools across the United States. If this small district, despite all the challenges, can find a way to keep students engaged outside the four walls of a classroom, it may shine a light on how other districts can make virtual schools work as well. Fairfield says it’s doing several things to make the virtual learning system last, including an application process to select the students who are best suited to remote learning a strong emphasis on live classes taught by district teachers and allowing virtual students to still have access to in-person sports, after-school activities and hands-on vocational courses. If district-run virtual schools do become the new normal, their leaders will have to address the pitfalls that have led to poorer outcomes in the past. “We need to pull the quality up in virtual schools so that we don’t have yet another form of splintering, fragmenting public school offerings, where we have a lower-quality track in the form of virtual schools relative to in-person schools.” Heather Schwartz, co-author of Rand surveys on virtual learning Only 3 percent of parents, in another Rand survey conducted this July, said they would send their youngest school-age child to full-time virtual school if the pandemic were over. Research before the pandemic often showed poorer outcomes for students in virtual schools versus brick-and-mortar ones. Yet it’s unclear how many students will remain in virtual learning when the pandemic subsides - or whether they should. Schools that served primarily families of color - Fairfield is around 90 percent Black - reported particularly high demand from parents for a virtual option. survey conducted in June found 26 percent of districts said they would run a virtual school this year, compared with just 3 percent pre-pandemic. Related: As schools reopen, will Black and Asian families return?įairfield County is far from the only school district where parents have asked for more full-time virtual options. Green, superintendent of the Fairfield County schools. Starting this school year, the district decided to open a full-time virtual academy, one designed to outlast the pandemic. Some parents, like Woodward, noticed their children worked better away from the distractions and social pressures of in-person school others enjoyed being able to see their children’s classes. Yet despite all these challenges, the district found something surprising: For some families, virtual learning was still an absolute hit. Even when the district handed out personal hotspots, they didn’t work for many families due to poor cell service. When the pandemic arrived, the school district struggled to connect its students to remote learning, as nearly half its households didn’t have high-speed internet.
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