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Oklahoma Bill Strips Municipal Employees of Collective Bargaining Rights

March 29, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Yet another blow to organized labor in America. The only way to really view this is from a mile high: this is a coordinated, state-by-state assault on public sector unions and public education. I don’t know what role ALEC is playing in all of this*, but one thing seems certain: each of these right-wing bills – from Wisconsin, to Florida, to Indiana, to Oklahoma – is strikingly similar to the next. They are going for the jugular of the public unions while avoiding taking on traditionally more conservative members like cops and firefighters. This is followed by a push to reform public school systems by introducing more charters, voucher programs, or virtual schools. Coincidence?

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Sperry to offer virtual school

March 5, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

SPERRY – Sperry Public Schools will partner next school year with a Maryland company to offer full-time, tuition-free public virtual school for Oklahoma students in kindergarten through eighth grade, a school spokesman said Friday.

Connections Academy, a for-profit company from Baltimore, Md., will administer the program starting in the 2011-12 academic year, said Josh Williams, Sperry’s director of technology and coordinator of the program for the district.

Plans are to expand the program to include grades nine through 12 in 2012-13, Williams said.

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UCO pays $60K to get out of charter school deal

March 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The University of Central Oklahoma paid the founders of Epic One on One Charter School $60,000 to get out of a contract to sponsor the statewide virtual school for the next five years, documents show.

The settlement came in January after several months of legal battles where Epic founders said they had a binding contract with the college. UCO officials maintained the agreement was not valid because it had not been approved through the proper channels.

For the rest of the article, go to UCO pays $60K to get out of charter school deal

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Connections Academy Virtual School in Partnership with Sperry Public Schools Comes to Oklahoma – Approved to Open for 2011-2012 School Year

March 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Starting in the 2011-2012 school year, Oklahoma students in grades K-8 will have an exciting new virtual school option that delivers exceptional public schooling to students online. Oklahoma Connections Academy, a virtual school, has just been approved by the Sperry Public Schools Board of Education and will begin enrollment immediately for the 2011-12 school year. Oklahoma Connections Academy can enroll students in grades K-8 from anywhere in the state and will offer a high-quality, highly accountable, tuition-free, public education option. The school expects to expand to grades K-12 for the 2012-2013 school year.

Important deadline: Families with students wishing to attend Oklahoma Connections Academy in the 2011-2012 school year must submit a Parent’s Application for an Open Transfer form by March 31, 2011. Information sessions about the school are taking place across the state and online. Visit the Connections Academy website for updates to the information session schedule and further details about enrollment.

For the rest of the article, go to Connections Academy Virtual School in Partnership with Sperry Public Schools Comes to Oklahoma – Approved to Open for 2011-2012 School Year

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Oklahoma Calvert Academy introduces Tuition-Free Virtual Cyber School

February 26, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Oklahoma Calvert Academy follows an instructional model that provides individualized learning plans that are primarily geared towards meeting each and every student’s individual needs. By conducting classes online, it offers parents a choice of paying more attention to their children’s education and also helps them recognize their talent and strengths.

The academy has a one-year program that comes with free enrollment in. The specially designed Calvert curriculum has the best blend of innovative and traditional modes of study. These classes that are focused on education at the elementary school are conducted by qualified and trained teachers who harness the power of various training tools and techniques to provide instructional oversight.

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Online learning an effective option for students

February 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Dan Lips (Point of View, Feb. 5) calls on legislators to give parents more freedom to choose the best learning environment for their children. He also praises online learning as an innovative educational choice that lets students receive individualized instruction. As the head of an Oklahoma City-based online learning provider that partners with schools and districts statewide to offer Oklahoma Virtual High School, I’ve seen firsthand how online education has helped state students graduate and succeed.

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Calvert Education Services and Epic One on One Charter School Launch Oklahoma Statewide Virtual School

February 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

BALTIMORE, Feb. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Epic One on One Charter School and Calvert Education Services, one of the nation’s premier providers of distance education, today announced an innovative partnership to launch a new online elementary and middle charter school for students throughout the state of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Calvert Academy (OKCAL). Classes in this new Oklahoma virtual school will begin in the fall of 2011.

“We are very proud to include Epic One on One Charter School in our ever-expanding list of partner schools and we are excited to provide this innovative academic option to students in Oklahoma,” said Richard Rasmus, CEO of Calvert Education Services. “Epic’s passion for virtual education led to this dynamic partnership. This program will enhance virtual education options throughout the state and contribute directly to the development of 21st century competencies in Oklahoma students, preparing them for the workplace of tomorrow.”

For the rest of the article, go to Calvert Education Services and Epic One on One Charter School Launch Oklahoma Statewide Virtual School

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Education choice for Oklahoma’s future

February 6, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Debates about school choice have focused on the critical challenge of helping kids trapped in bad schools transfer into better ones, whether by open enrollment, new charter schools, scholarships to attend private school and homeschooling.

But the debate is quickly changing. Future conversations are likely to be about customizing education to best suit children’s individual learning styles and finding the right learning environment to let children reach their highest potential.

Consider the exciting innovations that are occurring with online or virtual learning. Across the country, more than 1 million children are participating in various forms of online learning. These programs include full-time virtual schools, supplemental online courses and classroom-based online instruction.

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Rural District to Sponsor Online Charter School

January 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Oklahoma’s first online charter school will be sponsored by a rural Okfuskee County school district, officials said Thursday.

David Chaney, co-founder of Epic One on One Charter School, and Graham Public School Superintendent Dusty Chancey said the two entities have reached a two-year deal for the district to sponsor the charter school, which plans to open for the 2011-12 school year. The announcement came a few days after Epic officials said the school was cutting ties with the University of Central Oklahoma.

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Get Out of the Way

January 17, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The Brookings Working group did make recommendations for future Federal action. It included: (a) collecting and using more and better data, (b) requiring states to provide equitable funding and support equal facilities, (c) support higher standards for authorizing, (d) revising rules that disadvantage charter schools, (e) promoting the growth of virtual schools and (f) most importantly articulating a coherent policy for charter schools.

Charter schools have been shown to raise the achievement of minority and low-income students. This is in spite of being under funded and housed in second rate quarters. What the Henry-Taylor team and Tulsa Public Schools needs to do is get out of the way and let all students have a shot at those Schlumberger jobs.

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