Connections Academy seems to be the wave of the future. Free online public school now in at least 14 states with many more states in the development phase. Each state seems to vary somewhat in what is required for residency (i.e. what percent of the year you have to be in the US or what determines residency). Some state Connections Academies offer loaner computers. Some states require that students attending the public version of Connections Academy take the yearly (or every other year) state exams. Currently, in some states this means having to be in that state on a specific date or dates each year. There is talk that these exams may be made available online in the future.
In the past four weeks I have heard from a handful of people (families and educators) about this new schooling opportunity. I just visited with a family today who work overseas and have a son who just completed 4th or 5th grade through the Connections Academy in their home state where they maintain residency. His teacher contacted him by telephone or skype at least once every other week. The parents really appreciated all of the support they received and had positive things to say about the curriculum, the teachers, and the staff. In some of the states Connections Academy is available for K-12th, while other states are still working on adding grade levels and may only be currently available for 3rd-10th.
If you or a friend of yours has had a student in Connections Academy, please leave a comment on this blog to let others know of your experience.
Here is a link to Connections Academy’s webpage: http://www.connectionsacademy.com/what-is-connections-academy.aspx.
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