About Public Schools

Virtual learning may seem like a relatively new concept in the world of education, but distance learning via correspondence schools and other sources has actually been around for centuries. Virtual schools offer students the ability to get at least a portion of their education online, from the comfort of home. Some students even enroll in virtual schools full time, graduating without ever setting foot in a brick-and-mortar classroom! We’ll take a look at how the virtual school has evolved, what the benefits might be, and some areas of the country that are now actively promoting their virtual schools for struggling and overachieving students alike.

What is Virtual School?

According to WhatIs.com, virtual learning involves the use of computers and the Internet to create a classroom environment right at home. The core components of a successful virtual learning experience include:

• Curriculum mapping that breaks curriculum down into assessable segments
• The ability to track student progress
• Sufficient online support for both students and faculty
• Access to electronic communication like email, online chat, and video conferencing
• Links via the Internet to outside resources that enhance the learning experience

When all of these components are included in the virtual learning environment, virtual schools can be just as effective, if not more so, than the traditional classroom for many students today. Virtual schools are available on both the public and private school levels, so parents can often search out the best online learning environment for their child’s unique needs and abilities.

The Benefits

Vaccinations have become a common way for parents and health care professionals to protect children from contracting potentially dangerous illnesses. Shots that prevent measles, mumps and even chicken pox have become commonplace in most pediatrician’s offices and health centers today. While the immunizations have dramatically reduced the incidence of many of these diseases, some are making a reappearance at a rather alarming rate. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has been spreading by nearly epidemic proportions in some areas of the country, prompting public health officials to crack down on immunization requirements for children in public schools.

What is Pertussis?

According to PubMed Health, pertussis is a very contagious bacterial illness that results in a violent cough that can make it difficult to breathe. Patients who contract the cough make a wheezing or “whooping” noise during the coughing spells when they try to catch their breath, which is why the illness is also referred to as whooping cough. The disease can affect people of all ages and is particularly dangerous to infants. There is no cure for pertussis, and a bout of the illness usually runs about six weeks. During that time, the patient can infect numerous others, which is why the vaccination was originally developed and is now widely used.

Making a Return

While the vaccination had made pertussis all but disappear for many years, the illness appears to be on the rise once again. Schools across the country are seeing an increased incidence

Gay-straight student alliances have been formed in schools for more than two decades. Still, many students face seemingly insurmountable odds in getting their extracurricular organizations accepted in the public school system. Schools across the country have tried to keep these clubs from forming despite an act that clearly states the rights of students of all types of sexual orientation. Recently, Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a “Dear Colleagues” letter to school districts, reminding them of a law passed by the Reagan administration that allows LGBT students to organize clubs and alliances on school property. We will examine that letter, as well as the 1984 legislation that requires schools to treat all extracurricular activities equally regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.

The Problem for Gay-Straight Student Support Groups

According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the problem with gay-straight support groups in public schools came to the forefront of public policy in 2006 when White County High School in Georgia tried to ban a gay-straight alliance student club from forming at the school. The argument was taken to court, where Federal District Judge William C. O’Kelley wrote a 35-page decision that issued a permanent injunction requiring the school to allow the group to meet on its campus. However, this is not the first time a situation involving a gay-straight club was taken to court.

In 2000, Colin vs. Orange Unified School District also resulted in a ruling that required a school

Today's global economy is highly dependent on technology and engineering, and the countries that can produce the most knowledgeable workforce in these areas will surely be the free world's future leaders. However, test scores have indicated that schools across the United States are far from prepared to embrace the needs of tomorrow by training today's workforce. To answer the call, some schools are revamping their educational priorities to educate a new generation of leaders with highly desired innovation and problem-solving skills. STEM schools are one of the latest educational trends to sweep the country, and this article looks closely at what these schools do to train the next generation of workers and leaders in the United States.

What is STEM?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, which are the focus subjects in STEM schools today. According to the National Governor's Association, the new global economy requires states to prepare a workforce with the skills and knowledge necessary to compete on a much broader spectrum. The key to developing workers with the innovation, creativity, self-reliance, and problem-solving skills necessary for the modern workforce is a focus on the STEM competencies from when students enter kindergarten until they graduate from high school.

Despite the need for STEM competencies in school today, many of the districts across the country are not yet making the grade. The NGA report cites that results from the 2003 Third International Mathematics and Science Study show that 8^th

As budgets grow smaller for school districts around the country, classroom sizes continue to grow larger in many areas. While increasing the size of a classroom can be an effective way for penny-pinching school districts to save a significant amount of money, parents and educators alike are concerned about the impact of larger classrooms on the learning environment and the quality of education overall. Do larger classrooms really translate to a lower standard of learning? This article takes a look at some of the school districts forced to consider this difficult decision, as well as data regarding student performance in larger classes.

Spokane Increasing Class Sizes, to the Concern of Parents and Teachers

Washington has one of the largest average classroom sizes in the country today, but this state may be forced to increase classes once again in some areas if they are going to balance tight budgets. According to a report at the Spokesman-Review, the Spokane Public Schools board of directors recently voted to increase the size of classes as a way to deal with a potential budget crisis. The move could save the school district between $9 and $12 million, but not everyone is pleased about the idea.

Cindy Simonson, a third-grade teacher in the district, told the Spokesman, "We do character education, but we were trained to teach academic material. It's sort of incomprehensible about how you are going to do it [with more kids]. You want to be there