Learning and Leading - February 2009

FLVS students consistently earned higher grades, received better state assessment scores, and achieved higher marks on AP exams than students in traditional schools.

in a range of
student activities
from online literacy fairs to awareness
forums on topics such as hunger and
AIDS. They can join clubs that focus
on history, science, international af-
fairs, and other topics.

Virtual learning environments give students opportunities to work together in small groups to develop problem-solving, communication, and creative collaboration skills.

competencies in core subjects (English, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign language) while also building an understanding of issues critical to community and workplace success—global awareness; business, financial, and civic literacy; and health and wellness.

Online learning can give students opportunities to demonstrate mastery of academic concepts while using today’s tools and resources. In addition, teachers incorporate life skills into their pedagogy.

Last year, the staff of the school’s online newspaper, News in a Click, worked as editors for PEARL World Youth News, an international Web-based student news service sponsored by iEARN and the Daniel Pearl Foundation. The students collaborated with other students around the world as they created and edited the news service using Web conference rooms.

New Skills to Learn

Some critics worry that focusing
on 21^st-century skills is impractical
when so many of
our students
cannot read
or do math at
their grade
level. How-
ever, building
these skills means
strengthening the
foundation of

Traditional Schools Get Low Marks

In a national poll by the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, 80% of the U.S. registered voters who were polled said the public education system is not preparing young people to compete in the global market.

Another survey conducted by Project Tomorrow, a California-based education advocacy group, reached a similar finding. The group’s 2006 Speak Up Survey found that just 23% of students polled said they believed their school was doing a good job preparing them for future jobs.

These results indicate that something needs to change. We must commit ourselves to make education as engaging, interactive, and participatory as the immersive video games students spend hours mastering.

In education, whether virtual or face to face,

the authenticity of the interaction between a student and a teacher matters more than anything.

FLVS Students Outperform Peers In some communities, change is starting to take hold. The advent of the Internet and the fast-growing pace of virtual schooling have presented students with educational options. Today, 44 states have either significant supplemental or full-time online learning programs, according to a 2007 study

Keeping Pace with Online Learning, A Review of State-Level Policy and Practices by Evergreen Consulting.

A 2007 report by Florida Tax Watch found that students who were enrolled in online courses outperformed their peers in traditional schools. The report noted that FLVS students consistently earned higher grades, received better state assessment scores, and achieved higher marks on Advanced Placement exams than students in traditional schools.

Why do our students fare better than kids in traditional schools? Because we have spent the past decade getting to know and understand our customers, and we have deliberately structured their learning environment to take advantage of things they value the most. Being virtual means that we can allow students to work when it suits their schedules.

But most important is the one-on-one student–teacher engagement that we provide. According to FLVS external survey data of our parents and students, 95% of all students say that their teacher shows a special interest in them. In education, whether virtual or face to face, the authenticity of the interaction between a student and a teacher matters more than anything. It is commendable that FLVS has managed to garner such high marks for caring, even in a virtual environment.