THE MAINE EVENT. Earlier this year, Governor Paul LePage expressed his outrage that Maine’s “school systems are failing.” And when the newly-created Charter School Commission rejected four out of five charter applications he called on “…those people, if they’re afraid to do the job, if they can’t put students first, then they ought to resign.” Vowing to go back to square one on reform efforts, the Governor jumping back in the ring to convene a conference this Friday, March 22. The conference will feature sessions on best practices from across the country like Florida’s school performance grading system, school choice, and stretching education dollars. CER President Jeanne Allen, will lead a panel discussion on “Multiple Pathways to Success.”

BATTLE IN THE BAYOU. Today, parents, students, educators and reformers rallied before the Louisiana Supreme Court to defend the Louisiana Scholarship Program. Over 4,500 students across the state benefit from the program which provides scholarships to qualifying students enrolled in underperforming and failing schools, to attend schools of their choice. Former DC Councilman, attorney, advocate, and CER board member Kevin P. Chavous addressed the masses today and said, “I know justice, and it is absolutely criminal to snatch away opportunity from children.” The debate is heating up and attorneys brought their arguments for a showdown today with oral ammunition before the state’s Supreme Court. A ruling on the appeal is not expected for several weeks.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY. As Newswire reported last week, a charter school proposal must still be negotiated in joint House-Senate conference committees. As it stands now, “Mississippi has yet to open the book on what charter schools can really do for the whole of education across the state. Not only is this not significant in any way, but it’s evidence that even the relatively new leadership in power is inept at withstanding the political power of the education establishment,” said CER President Jeanne Allen.

DEFENDING CHOICE. When recently blasting the current state of public education in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie stated, “Nothing else in our society works without competition, and public education won’t work for everybody unless it does, too.” Reformers couldn’t agree more. This is the opportunity for Christie to put his money where his mouth is in backing meaningful voucher programs and serious reform of the states charter school law with multiple authorizers as it centerpiece.

IN GOOD COMPANY. Congrats to the legislators, advocates and CER’s own, Jeanne Allen, who were honored last week at Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) Symposium.

BLENDED LEARNING IN ACTION. Check out how Oakland, CA’s Aspire ERES Academy is pushing the boundaries on innovation in teaching through blended learning.

President of The Center for Education Reform Jeanne Allen testifies before the Joint Committee on the Public Schools in New Jersey about Online Learning. Her testimony shares facts about the schools that deploy digital learning, the parents who utilize online learning opportunities, and the teachers who lead and instruct in the digital learning world.

Read her full testimony here. You can also access the entire hearing from the New Jersey Legislature’s website.

WORLD SCHOOL. Avenues: The World School, is opening its doors this fall in New York City, the flagship in a planned global network of schools with a unique mission to promote and nurture global preparedness. Pledging to “set an example as an effective, diverse, and accountable school,” Avenues’ rigorous curriculum and forward thinking operational philosophy is designed to prepare kids to be successful, responsible, well rounded, and ethical citizens of the global community, who will have access to any international campus in the Avenues family. The faculty and administrative leaders are virtually a who’s who in rigorous education programs – including founder and entrepreneur Chris Whittle. Avenues shows what big thinking, entrepreneurship and hard work can accomplish.

EMPOWERED ONLINE. Speaking of entrepreneurship and forward thinking philosophies…Silicon Valley technology guru Steve Poizner has partnered with UCLA Extension to create Empowered Careers– an online continuing education certificate program taken entirely via a groundbreaking iPad app. Adult learners can take professional development courses from the comfort and convenience of their iPad, completing a certificate program to enhance or redirect their careers. The College Admissions Counseling course, for instance, might help a teacher who wants to transition from the classroom to the counselor’s office in order to focus on helping students make the jump from high school to college. To see some of the program’s high profile cheerleaders including Pierce Bronsan, James Franco, Sally Field and more, check out the video on their homepage. Looks like online learning is not only good for the gander (K-12 kids), but the goose (adult learners), too.

VIRTUAL VILLAGES…New Jersey just gave the thumbs up to two blended learning charter schools, set to open their doors in Newark, while closing the door to others. The Merit Preparatory Charter School and the Newark Preparatory School are just two of a growing cadre of hundreds of schools nationally demonstrating how new models can transform the learning process and accelerate progress among multi-needs communities. As Ben Rayer, CEO of Touchstone Education (operating Merit Prep) says, “it’s [still] very much a school, just one working with modern tools and not teaching like we did 100 years ago.” Let’s hope policymakers in New Jersey and beyond recognize that rather than limiting new opportunities throughout the state to new kinds of learning, they should be limiting bad education from being peddled to millions of children day after day.

…Online learning goes for the gold in South Dakota. Virtual School, which offers both part-time and full-time online learning, got a golden review at the state’s Board of Education meeting. “Especially in many of the smaller districts in the state, schools may not be able to pay a full-time teacher in advanced or highly specialized subjects,” curriculum specialist Erin Larsen told the Press & Dakotan. “The South Dakota Virtual School gives students those same opportunities, increasing the rigor and relevance of their high school education.”

…South Dakota MYLife is another online resource for students, in this case providing an online career development tool. And, who uses online learning? Students seeking credit recovery, AP and other classes not available at their school, as well as those pursing the arts and Olympians. That’s right. As we tune in this week to the London Olympics, keep in mind that some athletes vying for prestigious competitions, like thirteen-year old diver Jordan Windle, who participated in the Olympic Trials, use online options (in his case, Indiana Connections Academy).

MODELS FOR DIGITAL LEARNING. If you still aren’t sure what it is or how it works, check out Digital Learning Now where you can review how your state measures up in digital learning and find out about the most important elements for getting our kids into the 21st century and how technology can transform education.

From traditional to 21st-century learning.

At Hale Kula Elementary in Schofield, Ms. Cummings 5th grade media awareness class is learning the basics of what will become a full blown, pilot program next fall.

“I like the idea that our lessons are up there and our students can access them at anytime,” said Cummings.

“I’ve had to learn a lot of stuff I didn’t know,” said teacher Rachel Armstrong.

Rachel Armstrong is one of two teachers leading what will be called “Blended Learning,” where kids come to class two days a week, then work from home three days a week online.

“I think it’s a shift in your mindset about how you think about teaching. It’s not you standing up there doing everything. I think that’s great actually. I think it gives you more time to be with the individual student and what they’re needs are,” said Armstrong.

“It’s fun. Yeah. You get to get out of class though. Yeah that’s fun,” laughs 5th grader Mason Wood.

Wood, like most kids in the media class, loves the idea.

He did his book report online.

His classmates finished a video presentation for Olelo.

“Each time we learn new stuff it kind of gets us more into it,” said 5th grader Koa Perman.

“They’re really engaged in what they’re doing and they’re exploring new things that they like to do while they are learning,” said Cummings.

“I think the kids are the main reason why it will work,” said principal Jan Iwase.

With Hale Kula overflowing with 970 students, resources and funding are a big challenge, so and her staff knew it was time to try something new.

They won a grant through the Department of Defense’s education branch.

They’re using the money to buy technology and test out Blended Learning for next year’s 4th and 5th graders.

“When they talk about education now in the 21st century you talk about not just the three R’s but the 4 Cs: critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creation; and that’s what this program is all about,” she said.

“I’m excited! This is something new,” said Cummings.

Expect to see more and more Hawaii schools testing, and implementing e-Learning – and soon.

In the fall of 2012, the Asian Development Bank will be sponsoring another program for a handful of Hawaii schools, with a software program that continually adjusts to the pace of how each student is learning.

Educators say this will free up teachers to focus on advancing students beyond the basics.

Blended learning is any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brickand-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace.

Examples of Blended Learning At Work

Aspire ERES Academy
Aspire Public Schools is one of the nation’s top-performing large school systems serving predominantly low-income students, with 100% of graduating seniors accepted to four year colleges. Aspire decided to introduce blended learning into two of its schools in 2011. Check out this video to see blended learning in action at Aspire ERES Academy, a K-8 school in Oakland, California.

KIPP Empower Academy

BLAST Alliance College-Ready Public Schools

Carpe Diem Schools

For More On Blended Learning…
Check out iNACOL’s Promising Practices in Online Learning report, Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face Education, which explores topics like:
„→ How does blended learning fit into current conceptions of online learning?
→ How does blended learning help engage students and support their academic success?
„→ How are online learning and face-to-face instruction being combined effectively?
„→ Is blended learning meeting unique student needs that neither fully online nor face-to-face models can achieve?
„→ What digital content and curricula are being used in blended learning?